


Butterfly Kisses

by blackrose_17



Series: How to Raise a Baby: The Avengers Way [1]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Torchwood
Genre: Baby Ianto, Baby Ianto has the Avengers wrapped around his finger, Baby Ianto likes to bonk people on the nose, Darcy plans on teaching Ianto how to use a taser, F/F, F/M, Family, Fixing Children of the Earth, I'm so sorry Ianto, Immortal Ianto Jones, M/M, Natasha is scary when someone threatens her family, Reborn Ianto, Steve and Thor like Tumblr, Superfamily (Marvel), The TARDIS and Loki are friends, There is some torture of a child in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 05:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/949123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose_17/pseuds/blackrose_17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto Jones died at the hands of the 456 and his soul became trapped within the Rift but that wasn't the end of his story. Rather than being the end of Ianto’s journey it was the beginning an exciting new adventure. </p>
<p>Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have never been that close but when a child is discovered carrying their DNA, they are forced to get along in order to raise their son. They soon discover that feelings run far deeper than they thought. But one question still remains to be answered: how did they end up with a son? The answers come when Ianto is kidnapped by A.I.M. which forces the Avengers and SHIELD to accept outside help in order to accomplish one common goal, the safe return of Ianto to his family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, the Avengers or Doctor Who  
> Beta: RoyalLadyEmma  
> Written for the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Big Bang 2013

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonderful art by darthneko

****

**Chapter 1**

_"I love you, Ianto Jones."_

Those were the five most important words Ianto had ever heard and he knew he would carry them in his heart forever. They may have come at the last moment but Ianto finally knew that he was truly loved by Jack, that he wasn't second, third or even fourth best. He, Ianto Jones, Torchwood Archivist and proud Welshman, was first in Jack Harkness’ heart. It didn’t matter how briefly he may have held that spot, just knowing it was his gave him enough strength to do what was needed.

Jack would live, he would live forever. He wouldn't be trapped in the Rift and soon the pain of his loss would fade. Jack would move on and find someone else to love and as much as it hurt Ianto to be the bigger man, he did not want Jack to live with his guilt forever.

"Good-bye, Jack Harkness, I love you and I always will," Ianto whispered under his breath as he pressed the button on the bomb that would forever seal the Rift and forever separate him from the love of his life. There would be no reunion between them in the afterlife once Jack had achieved his final death, no happily ever after for two star-crossed lovers. With tears in his eyes and an aching heart, Ianto’s last conscious act was to accept the fact that he would never lay eyes on Jack Harkness again.

Ianto Jones would be forever trapped in the Rift.

Letting his eyes flutter closed Ianto wanted Jack's face as he said those five precious words to be the last thing he ever saw. Heaven knows he’d been longing to hear the truth about Jack’s feelings for almost two years! With his lover's handsome face firmly in his mind’s eye Ianto released his last breath and let sweet oblivion wash over him. _‘I love you, Jack.’_

However, in the what should have been the absolute darkness of nothing and nowhere, there was a light unlike anything Ianto had ever seen before and without warning, an unexpected and delicious warmth engulfed him, filling him to his very soul. A soft, melodic voice that reminded Ianto of his mother's before the sickness changed her whispered in his ear, _"Rest gentle, Ianto, you have suffered so much in your young life. I can only hope that my gift will bring you some happiness. Know this, brave soul, you will meet Jack again."_ A soothing almost hypnotic hum began playing and despite how hard he fought against it Ianto found himself drifting off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Once again the TARDIS had taken on her Idris image, –  _‘I am rather fond of her, she has such beautiful fashion sense,’_ – and as she sat next to her sweet Welshman’s sleeping form, Idris slowly ran her fingers through Ianto’s soft locks. “Oh my darling, you are too young to have suffered so much and I know you have lost so much and so many. And now, like my Jack, you will always carry a piece of my heart within you.

Idris turned so that she could pull Ianto into her arms and she rested her hand on his chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his breathing. “I cannot change what has passed but I _can_ give you a new start. First I will place you with a family that will love you the way you always should have been.” As she spoke a golden glow engulfed her and Ianto and before her eyes time began to roll back until the young man whose head was resting on her lap was nothing more than a small babe one year old sleeping soundly in her arms. Without raising her head, she chuckled, “You may come out of hiding now, I know you are there.”

Appearing out of the shadows Loki grinned down at the peacefully sleeping face of the now de-aged Ianto Jones. "Oh he’s adorable! I know just the two people to raise him, they’re both so blind to their own feelings they could use a good swift kick in the pants to get them to start acting on those feelings."

A mischievous giggle escaped the TARDIS’ perfectly-shaped human mouth; she had a feeling she knew exactly who the god was talking about and it really tickled her mischievous side. It was the all-important side of her normally oh-so-serious self that had allowed her lonely angel to kidnap her and who was all in with Loki's plan. She was sure that the two people Loki had chosen would take good care of her little one until it was time for him and Jack to be reunited.

She smiled down at the innocent babe in her arms; the two foolish men had yet to realise that they were soul-bonded and would remain so through the end of time. Jack had given his soul to Ianto as Ianto had with Jack and now, with the power of the Rift, Ianto would live forever at Jack’s side. But the TARDIS had an especially soft spot in her heart for Ianto and she really wanted to do more for him than provide him with a future; she wanted to give him the childhood he had been so cruelly robbed of. This time around he would have a loving family who would nurture his spirit and care for him and then, when the time was right, she would bring Jack to Ianto and finally the two would be reunited.

Idris gazed at Loki with absolute seriousness in her brown eyes. “You will look after him when I cannot?” She would not trust Ianto’s safety to anyone but Loki.

In that moment, Loki knew that he was being given a truly great gift; the TARDIS was bestowing her trust in him. “I will look after him, you have my word.” Loki wasn't sure what it was about Ianto Jones that made him open his heart so willingly, but he’d warmed instantly to the young man. _'Maybe because he reminds me of me, so often overlooked in favour of the more demanding and forceful personalities, always forgotten and alone until needed for the most basic task and once that was done promptly forgotten again. To love someone and not have them notice you, to treat you as if you were completely invisible, and worse, to have to stand by and watch as their gaze was continually drawn to another.'_

Yes, Loki saw a lot of himself in Ianto Jones and having endured his own time trapped in a one-sided relationship, able to see the one he loved but not allowed to be a part of their everyday life, he found he could not allow Ianto to suffer as he had. _'And in maybe helping Ianto I can work on redeeming myself to the only one who truly matters to me.'_ It was Loki’s deepest wish that the man who held his heart would someday love him in return.

The TARDIS smiled as she carefully handed Ianto over to Loki and her smile grew when she saw the tender way that Loki held the tiny child cradled against his chest. "Ianto will be loved by his new family and I promise that you shall gain the forgiveness your soul craves."

"But you cannot grantee that Thor will come to love me." The pure sadness reflected in Loki’s eyes touched Idris deeply. She knew that he’d seen first-hand how deeply his brother loved his human, but in his heart, Loki knew his love would forever be one-sided.

Leaning forward the TARDIS brushed a gentle kiss across Loki's forehead. "Do not yet fret, my lost one, true bonds cannot be denied. Yes, Thor's love for Jane is real but she is not the one his soul truly calls for and nor is he the one whose soul calls to hers. Just give it time and soon the truth will be revealed."

The TARDIS knew – she’d always known – that Loki and Thor, much like Jack and Ianto, were destined to be together but she could not tell Loki how he and Thor would finally find their way to one another. The details were hazy even to her and that was because she tried never to see the future of gods. As powerful as she was she could only see bits and pieces of their future but she knew that the precious bundle in Loki’s arms was an extremely vital key to it all. “I think it’s time we take Ianto to his new family.”

There was a large part of Loki that didn’t want to give up Ianto; the small boy had awoken and lay calmly in his arms just looking up at him. Pure trust shone in his blue-grey eyes and it touched Loki so deeply because it had been a long time since anyone had looked at Loki like that. “Do we have to?” He just wasn’t ready to part with Ianto just yet.

Favouring him with a knowing smile the TARDIS shook her head. “We can wait a little longer. Time is of no issue here.”

Delighted by the opportunity to hold the baby for a while longer, Loki smiled down at Ianto as he let him grip onto his outstretched finger. His indulgent smile belied the serious intensity of his next words, “I promise you, Ianto, I swear to you that no one will _ever_ hurt you again.” Like Idris, Loki knew all the horrible details of Ianto’s original childhood, the mental, physical and emotional abuse that he’d endured at home as well as the relentless bullying he’d suffered at school.

******  
Tony Stark was bored and when he was bored nothing good ever happened, but he was still recovering from the injuries he’d received after flying into a black hole to save the world, which meant that Pepper and JARVIS had drastically limited his lab time. In fact, until SHIELD’s medical staff gave him the 100% all-clear, he wasn’t allowed in his lab unsupervised; if Tony wasn’t accompanied by a responsible adult – or AI – the lab’s door was sealed, just in case he tried to sneak in on his own. That little touch was Pepper’s idea because, “We are dealing with Tony Stark here!”

“It’s not fair!” Tony mumbled under his breath as he kicked at the lab’s table leg like a three-year-old. Even Dummy had more authority than him, it was just wrong. Every time he wanted to start a project, either Dummy or JARVIS told him it was too dangerous, or the tools were too sharp, or the worst of all, he just wasn’t up to it yet.

“Sir, are you pouting again?” JARVIS asked.

“I do not pout and I do not speak to traitors,” Tony huffed mutinously as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the far wall.

“If you like, Sir, I can list at least thirty incidents in which you did indeed pout. Would you like me to pull up the security footage to help jog your memory?” JARVIS asked in a tone that was just way too innocent to be accidental.

But Tony knew better and began grumbling under his breath, muttering threats about system upgrades, personality improvements and the removal of a certain someone’s sarcasm program.

As Tony threatened JARVIS for not letting him have any fun and Dummy hovered behind him like a nervous shadow waiting to rescue them all from the next Tony-caused disaster, none of them felt the change in the air as time itself gradually slowed in Tony’s lab until it stopped completely and they were frozen in place.

Time and energy flowed around her and the child in her arms with a golden glow; it was a part of her just as it was now a part of Ianto. The TARDIS hummed a gentle tune under her breath as she searched for a safe area to place the child but as she looked around at the chaos and clutter she found all around her, Idris shook her head in dismay. “How do you get anything done in a mess like this?” she asked Tony, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t hear her. She began methodically removing all the dangerous tools and sharp pieces of metal from the worktable until it was clear of everything that might find its way into a curious boy’s hands or mouth.

Tucking the blanket tightly around Ianto, she sat the small child on the table and placed beside Ianto the stuffed bunny that Loki had conjured up for him and which the little boy had fallen in love with the moment he’d laid his eyes on it.

“I will miss you so much, my little angel.” The TARDIS gently brushed back Ianto’s soft curls and pressed a tender, loving kiss onto his forehead. “Please go easy on your fathers. Just remember they haven’t had much experience with children so give them time to settle in before you wrap them around your little finger.”

Ianto just smiled happily and gurgled nonsensical words as he played with his stuffed bunny but the TARDIS could see the gleam of mischief in his eyes. She was torn between laughing or and sighing over the future. _‘It would seem that Ianto has picked up Loki’s love of mischief. I’m afraid the Avengers and SHIELD won’t know what hit them!’_

Idris looked down at Ianto as he batted at her with his bunny. “Just remember that your Uncle Loki and I will be watching over you and whenever you need us we’ll be here,” she promised him before turning her gaze onto the frozen Tony. “You better take good care of him, young man, or you will have to answer to me.” She threatened him even though she knew Tony couldn’t hear her; it just felt _good_ to do so.

Unable to delay the inevitable, Idris hugged the little boy who’d stolen her heart. “Be a good boy and when you’ve grown into a man, I’ll bring you the one person in the Universe who holds the key to your heart.” Next to Ianto she placed a simple note explaining everything that Tony needed to know. _‘Let’s just hope he notices it.’_

As the TARDIS’ image of Idris dissolved back into the time stream the world once again began to move and life returned to normal.

“It’s not like I’m going to blow up the place if I…” Tony found himself staring at his central work table. One moment it had been full of the many intricate pieces of his newest project and now it was completely cleared off and a tiny child was sitting in their place. Tony walked a little bit closer and blinked in surprise when the tiny human smiled brightly and blinked back at him. "Umm… JARVIS, why is there a baby sitting in the middle of my lab?"

"I have no clue, Sir."

"Not all that helpful there, JARVIS." Still eyeing the child with suspicion, Tony took a tentative step forward not quite sure what to do with someone so tiny. “Dummy, any ideas?”

Dummy shook his head vigorously. He knew _what_ a baby was as well as the purpose it served, he’d just never seen a real one before and although he maintained his distance, he was studying the small creature closely.

"JARVIS, call Pepper, now!" He was sure his ex-girlfriend would know what to do with the boy; she was a female, after all. As he waited for JARVIS to get in contact with Pepper looked him over; _‘Should I be doing something with it?’_ he wondered. _‘I’m not even sure_ _I know_   _how to hold a child!'_ For several moments Tony just stared at the child, although Ianto had lost interest in him and began playing with his bunny instead.

_‘I think I should feel insulted that a stuffed animal is more interesting than me.’_ As he watched Ianto playing, he was quite tempted to smile but didn’t, he frowned instead. _'This is why_ _Tony_ _Stark_ _doesn’t do children;_ _they_ _have no_ _interest in_ _my awesomeness.'_ Tony shook his head disapprovingly; “You don’t know what you’re missing, kid.”

"Miss Potts is on the line, Sir." JARVIS handed the telephone to him.

“Hey there, my friend,” Tony tried to sound nonchalant.

A sigh came over the line followed by the rustling of papers. "What is it this time, Tony? I'm very busy trying to run your company."

Deciding that this time at least the direct approach was the best, Tony bluntly announced, "Pepper, there is a child in my lab."

Silenced reigned supreme for a moment and then, "I'm sorry, Tony; there must be something wrong with our connection because I'm sure I just heard you say you have a baby in your lab."

Tony held the phone out for a moment and scowled at it. “That is _exactly_ what I said. There. Is. A. Baby. In. My. Lab.” He enunciated each word very clearly so there’d be no mistake the second time around.

“And…?”

“And I need you to do something with it, Pepper! I know absolutely nothing about babies!”

As Tony’s voice grew louder and more upset the baby’s big blue eyes filled with tears and to then, Tony’s abject horror, the baby began to cry. Great gulping sobs filled the lab as Ianto stared at Tony miserably.

“Pepper, do something!” Tony yelled desperately, trying to be heard over the baby’s howls.

“Tony! It’s a baby; it’s not going to blow up! Now for heaven’s sake, pick him up and comfort him.” Pepper issued her orders in a voice as hard as steel. She hadn’t believed Tony when he said there was a child in his lab, sure that he was trying to get back at her for limiting his activities, but now that she could hear the baby she instinctively fell into mother-mode.

Shuddering Tony remembered why it was not wise to anger this particular redhead or any of the redhead’s he knew, in fact. “Right, picking up the baby this very moment,” after setting the phone down on the table and taking a deep breath Tony approached the crying toddler as if he was a time bomb about to go off. Pretending that they weren’t shaking, he slid his hands under the tiny armpits and lifted the child in the air. “There, there, let’s stop with the tears,” Tony cooed in what he hoped was a soft and reassuring voice. “Think manly thoughts, kid, like puppies and robots and fast cars.”

Somehow he succeeded because the loud sobbing slowed to tiny whimpers and for the next few moments Tony and the child just stared at one another. The tears became sniffles that eventually stopped completely when Tony brought the child to rest against his chest. Trying not to be obvious about it, because JARVIS and Dummy were both watching him, Tony bent his head, irresistibly drawn to sniff Ianto’s head, and he was struck by his sweet, clean _baby_ smell. Against his will touch, macho Tony Stark smiled and snuggled the baby closer to his chest.

A piece of white paper caught his attention. “Whose uses paper anymore?” Tony muttered under his breath as he shifted Ianto just enough to get one hand free so he could reach out to grasp it. The sheet felt odd in his fingers, he was so used to using data pads and keyboards. It took a deft shake to unfold the paper and as he read the words written there, his mouth dropped open in absolute shock.

_‘His name is Ianto and he is your son, Mr Stark. Take good care of him.’_

Tony could only stare in horror at the note; his brain was screaming at him, _‘Are you kidding me? I can’t be a_ _father!'_  He wasn’t mentally mature enough to be responsible for a dog, let alone a child. _‘Why else do I have maintenance-free robots and AIs?’_ So as usual, Tony did the only thing he could do, he looked around, located the phone and roared as loudly as he could, “Pepper!”

“Oh, really, Sir!” JARVIS snorted sarcastically as Ianto immediately jerked violently and burst into ear-splitting shrieks of shock, fear and anger.

Pepper Potts loved Tony, really she did, just not enough to stay in a relationship with him, not when despite both their best efforts it just wasn’t meant to be, not when both of them had another that they and their hearts longed for. Looking back on their time together, Pepper didn’t know who Tony thought he was fooling besides himself and Steve when it was so clear that he’s a little in love with the legend himself. In her heart, Pepper had always known that there was no way she could compete with Steve Rogers; she’d often wondered what it would take to get either man would act on the obvious sexual tension between them because quite frankly, everyone around them would be so much happier.

Through the receiver, Pepper could hear the baby screaming again. “What is it now, Tony?” Already resigned to the fact that once again thanks to Tony her day was shot, she was in the middle of packing her things and rearranging her schedule; she wondered what new crisis Tony was experiencing now after only a few seconds of silence.

“There’s a note here saying he’s my son!” Tony’s shrill panicky voice came over the line.

The sheaf of papers in Pepper’s hand fell from her loose grip onto her desk and then went cascading to the floor. “Your son? You have a son? Tony!” She wasn’t sure if she was sad, happy or jealous of the news.

Tony stared in shock at the boy lying in his arms and shrieking, his cute face all red and blotchy while his little fists beat against Tony’s chest. “I didn’t know I have a son! I have no idea how this happened!” Again there was a derisive snort from JARVIS but Tony ignored him. “Help me, Pepper! What should I do?” Tony was a gifted genius when it came to cutting-edge technology, he could easily seduce and play other people to his will, but when it came to children he was at a total loss of what to do.

“Remain calm, Tony; I’m on my way. I’m going to call Bruce and see if he can meet us at the tower; hopefully he can help shed some light on just who your young guest is.” Slipping her laptop into her case and gathering up her jacket, she paused as a thought came to her. “Oh and, Tony?” 

“Yeah?” Tony was desperately bouncing the baby – well, jostling him was a better description of the motion Ianto was making – trying to calm him down and he missed the warning tone of her voice.

“That child had better not still be anywhere _near_ your lab; it’s not safe for a baby!” Pepper growled menacingly.

Knowing that tone all too well Tony began to very hastily make his way out of his lab, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from retorting that _“I_ _may not know much about children but even I_ _know that a child doesn't  belong in_ _my lab!"_ but he didn’t because he wasn’t quite out the door yet. He glanced down at the baby in his arms and couldn’t help but smile; at some point Ianto had stopped crying and his blue eyes were taking in everything around him with childlike awe.

The look of wonder on the little boy’s face made Tony’s heart fill with joy and his own smile appeared on his face; he had to admit that Ianto was kind of adorable. _‘And if he turns out to be my son then I would expect nothing less than that.’_ Once he was safely out of the lab and in the hallway, he announced, "We're heading for the living room. I'm not completely hopeless, Pepper; I know a lab is no place for a child."

Reaching the living room Tony faced a new problem; it was a very masculine room, with books everywhere and lots of heavy furniture. Unsure of what to do and since there was no children’s toys anywhere in his tower, _'Well Barton might have a few but I'm not about to expose Ianto to that death trap.'_ The team had learned the hard way that Clint liked to booby-trap his room, not with anything _really_ harmful but Tony’s skin had been Smurf-blue for a week after triggering one of Clint's traps. With a stroke of desperate genius, Tony did the only thing he could think of to keep Ianto entertained, “JARVIS, find some cartoons that Ianto can watch.”

“Right away, Sir.” JARVIS turned on the TV to one of the children’s networks dedicated to programming for young children.

Not knowing if he should place Ianto on the ground or not – what if he fell over or worse, what if he crawled away –Tony chose to sit down on his couch with Ianto still curled up against his chest. He kept glancing back and forth between the TV and Ianto, watching with fascination the way Ianto’s eyes were glued to the television following the characters’ movements. He had no idea what was on, it looked like some kind of show about building stuff which was a perfect show for the son of Tony Stark. _‘That_ _is if he is_ _my son.'_

"JARVIS, any word on when the others should be back?" Tony didn't want to chance of them disturbing Ianto; he could see that the little boy’s eyes were growing heavy and he knew that he’d soon have a sleeping baby in his arms.

"Unclear, Sir. Agents Barton and Coulson are on assignment and their return is uncertain; Thor is with Doctor Foster and should be back later this evening. Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff should be back once they've finished their meeting with Director Fury," JARVIS informed him with his usual efficiency.

"One thing, JARVIS, Legolas and Super Agent aren't really on assignment; they took a romantic little get-away. They just said it was an assignment so SHIELD would have to pay for it," Tony corrected his AI. Not that he could blame them, it had been hard on everyone when they’d believed Agent Phil Coulson to be dead but no one knew how much harder Clint took his passing. From the moment they’d learned that Coulson was alive and well not one of the team rested until they’d discovered where Fury had hidden Coulson away.

Faced with the combined wrath of the Avengers, Fury proved that he deserved the title of Director and he did the smart thing: he informed them which hospital Phil was being treated in. Tony hadn't wasted any time in arranging Coulson's transfer to a room in the tower that JARVIS and Dummy had quickly prepared, a room that he quickly learned would be shared with Clint. Unbeknownst to anyone else on the team, but Natasha, the two of them had been involved for some time which explained why Clint really didn't react well to his partner's fake death no matter how well it worked out in the end.

Shaking off his thoughts, Tony glanced down and saw that as he’d predicted, Ianto was sound asleep, cuddled against his chest like he belonged there. Feeling oddly content, Iron Man settled in and started paying attention to the TV and soon, despite it being a children's show, Tony found himself be drawn into the storyline. Of course being the technological genius he was, he soon began making comments – quiet comments –about how the work would never hold up in the real world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Arriving at the tower several hours later Pepper smiled when she heard a familiar motorcycle and car pulling into the driveway behind her. "Thank you, Happy." Pepper climbed out of the car and smiled at the driver she and Tony shared before turning to face the new arrivals.  "Hello Steve, Bruce; thank you for coming."

Bruce smiled brightly at Pepper; he rather liked the redhead and was in constant awe of how easily she could handle Tony. "It's no problem; I was on my way back." If asked, Bruce would readily admit that he was more than a little curious to know all about the child that Tony claimed he found in his lab.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows together and like the leader he was he asked, "What's going on?"

Pepper smiled up at him sweetly. "Nothing to worry about or at least I don't think so. It would seem that Tony found a child in his lab this morning; apparently, he just appeared out of the blue with a note saying _‘he's your son ’_." Walking and talking, Pepper explained the situation as she watched with a raised eyebrow and a growing smirk as the living legend known as Captain America tripped over his own two feet.

Trying his hardest to still look cool even though he’d just tripped and fallen into a bank of shrubbery, an obviously dazed Steve stared at her not sure if he’d heard right. "Tony has a son?" He wasn't sure why he felt so disappointed; okay, so Tony had a child with someone else, which clearly mean that what he felt for Tony was and would remain completely one-sided.

Both Pepper and Bruce heard Steve's pure disappointment in his tone and the sheer devastation in his eyes but they wisely chose not to say anything. All they could do was hope that the two men saw sense and realised that they were in love with one another. "We're not sure if he really _is_ Tony's son, that's why I asked Bruce to come along and do a DNA test to see if it's true or not." Pepper wasn't sure if her attempt to reassure Steve had achieved its goal so she decided to move the subject off of Tony's possible son. 

"Where's Natasha, I’d have thought she would have come back with you?" and as soon as she finished speaking Pepper could have kicked herself right in the ass. When she saw the knowing looks that appeared in both Bruce and Steve's eyes, the only thing she could think of was, _'Oh dear Lord, I'm turning into Tony.'_

Luckily Steve and Bruce weren't the kind to tease Pepper and Steve just smiled kindly at the fiercely blushing redhead. "She had to stay behind; Fury had a last minute mission for her."

Pepper's heart clenched as it always did when ever any of them got sent into danger but it was always worse when it was Natasha. _'Please stay safe, Natasha.'_

Steve knew the look in Pepper's eyes all too well; he'd seen it may times in the eyes of his fellow soldiers' loved ones when they feared he or she might not come home. "If this isn’t a practical joke and there really is a child in there then I think we better rescue Tony from him," he suggested. As much as it pained him to think about Tony having a child with someone else – which he knew was irrational, since he couldn’t physically have a baby with him – he was rather looking forward to seeing how Tony acted around a child.

“Or save the poor kid from Tony!” Bruce tried to lighten the atmosphere, and luckily the group laughed, including Steve.

Entering the Avenger Tower the group thought they were ready for anything, but the sight that greeted them would have melted anyone's heart. Lying stretched out on the living room couch Tony was sleeping soundly with his arms wrapped protectively around the small child who was using his chest as a pillow. Steve was the most effected by the sight of the man he loved cradling a little boy and he felt his heart swell with emotion.

"JARVIS, please tell me that you are recording this," Pepper whispered; it was just too precious a scene not to have on record. _'Oh Tony, I really hope he is your son, I can see that you already love him so very much.'_

"Of course I am, Miss Potts," JARVIS actually sounded insulted. "I started recording the moment they fell asleep." He matched the volume of her voice perfectly.

Pepper shook her head. "I should have never doubted you, JARVIS, please make sure you forward a copy to Natasha, Phil and Clint."

"Of course, Miss Potts. I have already sent copies to everyone as there is no doubt that once he awakens Mr Stark will erase all traces of the footage," JARVIS wisely informed Pepper.

"A very good idea, JARVIS, thank you. I appreciate you taking care of that for me.” There was no way Pepper was going to pass us a priceless blackmail opportunity, not when she could use it to ‘convince’ Tony to finally show up to his own board meetings once in a while.

"Should we wake…”

“Shhh…” Pepper put her finger to her lips and glared at Bruce.

“Sorry,” he whispered back, “should we wake them up or just let them sleep?" Bruce asked not sure if he wanted to disturb the adorable scene that was happening right before them.

Steve shook his head a soft smile playing on his lips. "No, I think it's better if we let them sleep; someone so little needs his daily naps." The sight of Tony sleeping with a small child on his chest was an image that Steve knew he would always keep close to his heart no matter what happened between them. _'I need to draw this,'_ he thought. _'Somethingas special like this_ _needs_ _to be_ _captured on paper.’_

Pepper smiled sweetly at the sleeping pair; knowing Tony as well as she did there was no doubt in her mind that it was his first chance to sleep in days. "I think Steve has the right idea. I know from experience that when Tony crashes he really crashes and nothing short of a disaster will wake him up." _‘You know, Tony,_ _I hope he does turn out to be your son. I think it would be good for you to have someone who will love you completely.'_

A small smile graced Bruce's face as he watched the small boy shift in his sleep and Tony's arms automatically tighten around the boy keeping him safe. "So, who’s hungry? I know I could go for a snack."

Pepper’s stomach let out a little growl at the mention of food. “That would be heavenly! It’s been one disaster after another today and I haven’t had the time to eat.” Since the incident in New York with the aliens everyone was clamouring for Stark to start commercially promoting their newest weapons. _‘Seriously I should just put a giant billboard above Stark Enterprise and maybe the Avenger Tower declaring that Stark Enterprise is not in the weapons business! It would certainly save me from having to give the same damn speech over and over again.’_

Itwas so mentally tiring repeating herself time and again to all the money-hungry corporations and revenge-driven despots that bombarded her office daily with demands for munitions contracts. No one would believe that despite the recent alien invasions neither Tony Stark nor his company were going to be getting back into the business of weapons development, manufacture and distribution any time soon. _‘And that certainly can’t happen when Tony wants to get into Captain America’s pants! It would be a little awkward if Tony was suddenly back in the weapons trade.’_

Ever the gentleman Steve opened the door to the hallway and offered Pepper his arm. “May I escort you, Miss Potts, to the kitchen where I can whip you up something to eat?” he asked with his charming boyish smile on his face.

_‘If Tony wasn’t head over heels for you and I didn’t have feelings for someone else I would snatch you right up, Mr Rogers; a gentleman and a_ chef, _how could one man be so perfect!’_ Pepper actually let out a dreamy sigh as she happily slipped her arm into Steve’s and then when she realised what she’d done, she quickly disguised it as a small cough. “That sounds wonderful, thank you, Steve, and what have I told you about calling me Miss Potts?” Pepper asked while raising an eyebrow. Steve was adorable but being called her Miss Potts made her feel old.

A faint blush painted Steve’s cheeks as he led the group out of the living room; he still wasn’t used to being praised or to gaining the attention of such a beautiful woman. “It’s no problem, I’m happy to do it… Pepper.”

“Do you think we should order some baby food? The little guy is going to get hungry sooner or later and I doubt anything we eat would be good or safe for someone so young.” Bruce spoke up suddenly. “And are kids that age – how old is he anyway? Is he potty-trained or do we need diapers too?”

“It has already been taken care of, Mister Banner; I have taken the liberty of ordering everything a baby could need.” JARVIS disembodied voice informed them. “I believe the young man is approximately one year old.”

“That was good thinking, JARVIS, thank you for that.” Pepper couldn’t believe she hadn't thought to order anything before leaving the office but she was in such shock that it just slipped her mind. All she could think about was that she needed to see proof that Tony wasn't pulling a fast one over on her.

“It was my pleasure, Ma’am.” JARVIS nodded his head. “Deliveries of appropriate food and toiletries, a crib with bedding and sleepwear are scheduled for this afternoon and this evening. Additional clothing and a selection of toys, both educational and playful, will arrive tomorrow morning.”

“Damn, you really do think of everything!” Steve was truly impressed by the AI’s organisational skills.

“We’re also going to need to baby-proof the entire tower before he starts moving around on his own cos even if the little boy isn’t his son I don’t think Tony’s going to be willing to give him up.” Whipping out her PDA, Pepper began making a list of everything that needed to be done. "This means that Clint is actually going to have to leave his bow and arrows in the training room for a change," Pepper muttered under her breath. She was rather tired of nearly sitting on pointy arrowheads because Clint simply left them lying around instead of putting them away properly.

She looked up from her device and speared the men around her with a determined glint in her eye. “The lab needs to be secured at all times, no more leaving the door open while you go to the bathroom, and you’re going to start leaving all weapons in your vehicles until we can install a weapon’s locker at the front door.”

Steve and Bruce shared a long-suffering look as Pepper unlinked her arm from Steve's and continued to make notes on her PDA while muttering under her breath. "Do you think it would save us all the pain that‘s sure to come if we just volunteer _now_ to help baby-proof the tower?" Bruce asked as they watched Pepper disappear into the kitchen.

"Probably because you know that Natasha is going to be the first person Pepper recruits and together those two redheads are downright scary. I think it would be a wise idea to offer our help now; that way we might be able to pick the things we want to do." Steve shivered lightly at the idea of Pepper and Natasha double-teaming them, a fact that happened more often than Steve would like. "You know I'm glad that they’re on our side, cos if the two of them put their heads together they’d be ruling the world in no time."

Bruce shuddered along with Steve; that was a truly scary thought. "Just think how much scarier they’ll be when they’re finally a real couple,” Bruce commented.

Both men trembled violently at the thought but they both knew that it was coming. "That’s terrifying we’ll just have to learn to live with it." Steve wanted to see his friends happy and if they ended up being the scariest couple alive then he would give them his blessing. "We better catch up to Pepper, I think Tony will want some say in what we should be getting his son." Steve was pleased that he didn't stumble over the word ‘son’.

"Having a child won't change Tony, you’ll see; he’ll still be the same adorable jerk we all love and hate." Bruce didn't need to see the worry on Steve's face to know that he was concerned about how Tony would change if the little boy turned out to be his son.

Casting another glance back at the living room door, behind which the man he loved lay sleeping with a toddler on his chest, Steve couldn't help but smile. "No, I think Tony _will_ change and that's a good thing, he clearly already cares for the child and I think fatherhood will suit Tony."

Bruce had to agree with Steve’s observation; the simple fact that he was protecting the boy even in his sleep was proof enough that Tony was already changing and for the better. For as long as he'd known Tony he'd never seen such a contented look on the man’s face. "We should let them sleep for as long as they can while we wait for the arrival of the supplies that we're going to need and then we’ll make sure that little guy has something good to eat. Speaking of food, let’s go get our own lunch, okay?"

Giving one last longing look at the living room door – he’d give anything to go back in there, pull a chair up next to the couch and then just sit and watching Tony sleep – Steve allowed himself to be led away by Bruce.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_An hour later_

Waking up to the unfamiliar sensation of a light weight on his chest Tony glanced down to see a much, _much_ younger and smaller body than he was used to finding from his bed partners curled up on his chest. In a flash everything came back to him, _‘His name is Ianto and he is your son’._ Tony’s heart started thudding loudly in his chest and his brain began whirling frantically in his head. _‘Think, Stark, think! A baby takes nine months, and this kid looks…’_ Tony lifted his head and studied as much of Ianto as he could see; _‘… like he’s at least a year old, maybe a little more.’_

Tony’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember what he was doing – “ _Who_ I was doing is more like it!” he joked quietly to himself – roughly two years ago and he came to one irrefutable conclusion:

Pepper Potts was the only woman he’d made love to in nearly three and a half years.

Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pepper had never teen pregnant, “That means Ianto isn’t my son after all,” he concluded sadly and he was truly amazed to find that that fact really upset him. Until that moment, he had been looking very forward to being a father, to raising a child to manhood, and maybe, just maybe, sharing those responsibilities with one special man.

Ianto was sleeping soundly trusting his newly discovered father to keep him safe and despite his newly realised truth, the feeling of the little body beneath his hands sent a feeling of warmth throughout Tony’s chest. Gently brushing the lock of curled hair out of Ianto’s face Tony stared at the peacefully sleeping face all the while wondering, _‘So little guy, how long are you going to sleep?’_ While part of him wasn't used to sitting still for very long and was quite anxious to get up and do something, the rest of him didn't want to disturb the sleeping child. He wanted to cherish the time he had left with Ianto before they turned him over to the proper authorities and that thought sent a sharp stab of pain through his heart.

Tony didn't have long to wait before his unusual sleeping partner awoke. Between adult Ianto sealing himself into the Rift and then being miraculously brought to his new home, child Ianto was a hungry and he let the world know all about it when his stomach let out a growl loud enough to startle the little boy from his sleep.

Sleepy Ianto’s blue eyes fluttered open in surprise as the loud noise pulled him from his peaceful dreams, and Tony watched with undisguised delight as Ianto’s little button nose scrunched up as he tried to block out the noise that had disturbed his sleep.

Carefully cradling the little body, Tony twisted around and arranged them so he was sitting up and Ianto was still resting against his chest. Tony couldn't help but smile as Ianto's blue eyes grew wide and he looked down at his tummy as it rumbled once again. The look on Ianto's face made it clear that he could not believe that such a loud noise was coming from him. "I think someone's hungry; yes, I do!” He tickled Ianto’s tummy and chuckled when Ianto giggled loudly and squirmed in his arms. “You like that, huh?” Tony danced his fingers across Ianto’s little belly again and laughed right along with Ianto. 

“Come on, you; let's get some food in you before your stomach tries to eat us." Shifting Ianto a bit, Tony got smoothly to his feet, slid him around to his hip and then headed towards the kitchen bouncing Ianto along as he walked. "I just hope I have something for you to eat little guy." _'I must have bananas or an apple or something like that lying around.'_

Tony froze as he walked pushed open the door, walked into the kitchen and found Bruce, Pepper and Steve all milling around. They didn’t even notice that he’d arrived until Ianto, who apparently didn’t like being ignored, let out a little coo designed to gain everyone's attention. In mock exasperation Tony sighed as he glanced down at Ianto. "You just couldn't stay quiet, could you, little man?"

Tony wasn't sure and everyone else thought he was crazy when he brought it up later, but he saw a glint of mischief in those blue-grey eyes. Tony’s breath caught in his throat; not only did they appear to carry the wisdom of the Universe in them, but the look in Ianto’s eyes was very familiar to him, it was the same look he got whenever he was going to start causing trouble. His thoughts were proven true when Ianto let out a small cry, he was hungry, damn it, and he wanted food, _now!_

Something maternal within Pepper snapped and she rushed over to Tony and snatched the small boy from his arms. "There, there, little guy, I know you’re hungry," she cooed softly as she gently bounced Ianto up and down.

Startled by the sudden change of venue and unsure of what was going to happen next, Ianto glanced at the strange woman holding him and then back at the man he felt safe with. To Ianto’s little brain there was no contest; he let out a tiny distressed whimper, arched his back to get away from Pepper and with eyes filled with years, he held out his arms imploringly to Tony.

The other three could only stare in shock as Tony immediately swooped in and reclaimed Ianto, holding him firmly against his chest. He relished the feeling of Ianto snuggling into his arms and gurgling to himself with satisfaction. "There, there, kiddo, no need to cry, Ianto, Tony's got you.” He carefully used his thumb to brush away the single fat tear that rolled down Ianto’s cheek. “Okay, now I know Pepper can be a little scary but she's really a nice lady when she's not yelling at me for missing the boring meetings." Ianto looked over at Pepper and studied her for a moment before reaching up and patting the older man’s face with his chubby little hand as if to say, “I’ll trust you on this one, Tad”.

The others watched with barely concealed amusement as Tony began making silly faces and nonsensical noises at Ianto and they could see how inordinately pleased the man was when Ianto let out a peal of musical laugh and clapped his hands together in delight. The movement of his fingers caught Ianto’s attention and as he opened and closed them, he examined them with an intensity that reminded the others of Tony when he was in the middle of a project before deciding that his tiny fist looked good enough to eat. With a throaty little chortle, Ianto curled his fingers tightly and attempted to shove his fist into his mouth.

"Whoa, little guy! I know you're hungry but there's no reason to resort to cannibalism! We'll get you something to eat." Gently Tony removed Ianto's fist from his mouth paying no attention to the string of drool that came with it. “Now, what do I have that we can feed a baby?” He looked at the others hoping they’d have a suggestion.

"Sir, the pantry is fully stocked with a variety of baby food and there is also a crib, rocking chair, a playpen, some clothing and selection of basic baby essentials upstairs. It should be enough to tide us over until further deliveries arrive tomorrow morning,” JARVIS' disembodied voice announced. “I have taken the liberty of setting up the young master’s nursery in the bedroom across from yours. You will be close enough to respond to any night-time problems while still maintaining your personal privacy.” If anyone noticed the note of smugness in his words, they wisely said nothing.

Ianto gave a little start at the voice coming out from nowhere and his blue eyes glanced around curiously, trying to figure out where the man was hiding. Unable to find him, the little boy turned to Tony for guidance.

"That's just JARVIS, little guy; he's a voice in the ceiling. He can’t hurt you so pay no attention to him," Tony explained.

"Tony, he's a baby; he doesn’t understand any of that," Pepper chided Tony gently although she found his easy interaction with Ianto quite endearing.

In response Tony covered Ianto's left ear with his free hand and pressed his head against his chest to block the other ear before turning his body to shield Ianto from Pepper's words. "Don't you listen to your Aunty Pepper, Ianto; you're my son and you can understand me perfectly, can't you?" He deliberately ignored the little voice that reminded him that Ianto wasn’t – couldn’t be – his son. As he stared into Ianto's blue eyes Tony knew that he didn't imagine the flash of sharp intelligence that appeared in Ianto's eyes for a moment. _‘Who are you really, Ianto?’_

While Tony and Ianto were having their staring contest neither noticed how the other three stood frozen in place at the way Tony causally called Ianto his son. Even without a DNA test to verify paternity, it would seem that he’d already accepted Ianto as his own flesh and blood.

Careful not to let the others see the look on her face, Pepper stared sadly at Tony's back. _'Oh Tony, for your sake I hope that somehow, some way, Ianto really is your son.'_ While Steve and Bruce had been divvying up some of the baby-proofing chores, she’d been doing some quick mental calculations and she’d come up with the same conclusion that Tony had earlier. Unless Tony had been seeing someone that no one else knew anything about, there was no way Ianto could be Tony’s son and that knowledge broke her heart.

She had never seen Tony take to someone so quickly and so naturally. It was clear to even the most casual observer that Ianto was already completely in awe of Tony and she knew that it would break both their hearts if miracles didn’t exist and Tony was really, truly not Ianto's father. _‘But if Tony’s not your father, then who is, where did you come from and how on earth did you get into Tony’s lab?’_ It was actually the last part of the question that bothered Pepper the most.

Ianto couldn’t walk yet much less write the note that came with him, any more than he could know the entry codes for the main gate, the front door and the lab door. Those facts all meant that the Tower had been invaded by an unknown entity, although clearly not an evil one. Bad guys didn’t play stork and deliver babies, at least not on Earth. _‘Does that mean you’re an alien, Ianto?’_ Pepper wanted to laugh at that thought, but couldn’t; she’d seen too many bizarre and inexplicable events to rule it out. 

"So… his name is Ianto, huh?" Bruce asked breaking the silence that came over the kitchen.

Absent-mindedly Tony nodded his head. "That's what the note said,” he confirmed and then he glanced up at the ceiling. “Speaking of that note, JARVIS, did you find anything on it that might help us?”

“No, Sir; I have run it through every test possible. There are no fingerprints, no foreign substances  
and no watermark, and I have not been able to identify its manufacturer.”

Ianto stared in silent fascination as the ceiling as JARVIS spoke, and Tony was positive that there was a knowing smile dancing across his lips.

Tony huffed in frustration. “Have you found anything that can explain how someone got in to my home and my lab totally unseen?"

"I have not, Sir; nothing has shown up on any of the system scans I have run. It appears Sir, that Master Ianto simply appeared in your lab," JARVIS explained.

"This is ridiculous! I want to know who could have gotten past JARVIS and me! This tower has better security then SHIELD, for Christ’s sake! It's…” Tony interrupted himself when he heard Pepper clear her throat loudly. “What!?”

“Language, Tony.” Pepper nodded in Ianto’s direction. “Little pitcher, big ears.”

Tony stared at her for a second, then looked at Ianto and an uncharacteristic blush turned his cheeks a bright red. “Oh, yeah,” he murmured. “Young man, you did _not_ just hear your daddy use a bad work, all right?”

Ianto looked at Tony and with a cheeky grin he nodded his head, as though saying, “Okay, Tad, we’ll pretend you didn’t say that.” Tony got the very distinct impression that his own son was merely humouring him.

With a quick mental shake, Tony returned to the topic at hand; “It is not possible that anyone could get in here undetected and it’s not possible that they got out without leaving some sort of trace, somewhere. If they got in once, they could get in again, which makes them a potential danger to Ianto.” Without realising it, Tony had pressed Ianto closer to him, instinctively protecting him from harm. “JARVIS, beef up security; I'm not taking any chances when it comes to Ianto's safety." Tony scowled at the idea of the child in his arms being in any danger.

“I will continue to investigate, Sir,” JARVIS reassured his creator. “Now initiating security protocol Wolf 739.”

There was no noticeable difference in  that anyone could detect, but Tony immediately relaxed his grip on Ianto and blew out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. “Thank you, JARVIS.”

“Do not worry, Sir. I will not allow anything to happen to young Master Ianto.”

Steve crossed the distance between him and Tony and placed his hand on the other man’s shoulder in a show of support. “Nothing’s going to happen to your son. Trust me when I say that if anyone tries to take Ianto away from you they’ll have to go through every single Avenger to do so. I promise you, Tony, we _will_ keep Ianto safe.”

As Ianto gazed at the newcomer touching his father, a feeling of warmth and comfort spread throughout his chest and he reached for Steve without hesitation, straining against Tony’s hold.

Surprised by Ianto’s eagerness for Steve, given his earlier reaction to Pepper, Steve and Tony could only stare blankly at Ianto for a moment before the small child’s face scrunched up and a tiny whimper escaped his lips. He didn’t understand why the one he wanted to hold him wasn’t reaching out for him and he pushed away from Tony even harder, straining to touch Steve.

Tony found it very difficult to let anyone else hold Ianto. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his friends, he simply wasn’t ready to share the little boy with anyone just yet, which explains why he was so quick to steal Ianto back from Pepper. But with Steve it felt different, it felt right; it was as if Ianto belonged in Steve’s arms just as much as he belonged in his. “Here, Uncle Steve, he wants you to hold him.” Tony gently shifted Ianto into Steve’s arms and the little boy gave a tearful gurgle as he settled against Steve’s broad chest.

The instant he felt the slight weight arrive in his hands, Steve’s arms instinctively tightened around Ianto and as Ianto stared up at him with his big blue eyes Steve knew he was in love. “Hey, little guy, there’s no need for tears; Uncle Steve’s got you,” he cooed bouncing Ianto up and down in his arms but then the motion slowed and he became absolutely mesmerised when Ianto reached up and put his little on either side of Steve’s face.

As he studied the older man’s features Ianto’s tears faded and a serious look took their place in his eyes. Deciding that he passed muster, Ianto smiled brightly at Steve just as his stomach let out a sudden loud roar. All eyes flew to the small child and they laughed as they watched him look at his belly and start poking at it curiously as though trying to figure why it kept doing that.

“Already with the scientific mind!” Tony crowed with happiness. “Son, you’re a chip off the old block!”

Grinning with obvious affection and pride, Steve hiked Ianto up a little higher and planted a kiss on his tummy. “Come on, let’s get you fed.”

Shaking his head at how comfortable Ianto was with Steve, Tony followed as the other man headed for the highchair set up near the table; Tony had completely missed that detail when he’d first entered the room. Seeing the bib, Sippy-cup and child-friendly spoon with its large easy-to-grip circular handle, Tony chuckled and frowned at the same time. “Tell me, Pepper, did you leave anything on the stores shelves or did you clear them all out?” Tony teased his friend.

Pepper merely cocked an eyebrow at Tony’s teasing. “I left that to you; we both know that you plan on spoiling him rotten.”

“Of course I am, if he’s going to be a Stark he has to start appreciating the finer things in life as early as possible.” At that moment Tony knew that if even Ianto wasn't his son there was no way he could possibly give him up. In fact, it actually scared him a little bit just how fast and deep Ianto had dug his way into his heart. Of course the sight of Steve and Bruce making airplane noises at Ianto as they flew the spoon through the air and fed him some kind of brightly coloured strained food was downright adorable.

Tony’s heart certainly skipped a beat, even two, at the way the sunlight shone through the room’s large bay window and made Steve glow as he smiled down at Ianto as he feed the boy a spoonful of whatever he was eating. Unwilling to be left out of anything to do with Ianto, Tony smiled apologetically, “Excuse me, Pepper, I have to go make sure those two aren’t trying to poison my son.”

Pepper watched Tony go a soft smile appearing on her face. “JARVIS, inform the legal department to draw up some adoption papers immediately; there is no way I am going to allow _anyone_ to take Ianto from Tony.”

“I’m alerting them now, Miss Potts, and I have also recommended that they file paperwork for sole custody of Ianto should he turn out to be Mr Stark’s son,” JARVIS assured her.

“Good.” Between her and JARVIS Pepper would make sure that Ianto’s future with Tony was secure. Studying the group before her Pepper knew she had to make one small change to her plan; _‘I should include Steve and Bruce on that list of those authorised to have emergency custody of Ianto, and probably the rest of the Avengers as well because there’s no doubt in my mind that once they meet Ianto they’ll love him just as much as we do.’_

Ianto had only been in their lives for a few hours but already Pepper could see the joy and light Ianto had brought to their lives. “JARVIS, make sure you’re recording this from every angle possible,” Pepper ordered. A contented smile graced her lips as she watched three of the most powerful men on the planet make goofy faces and baby noises in order to get Ianto to eat.

“I haven’t stopped recording, Miss Potts, and I am streaming it live to the other Avengers, as well as to the computers of Agent Coulson, Miss Lewis and Miss Foster.” JARVIS rather smugly informed her.

“Good because this is all simply too priceless to pass up!” Pepper knew that what she was seeing was pure gold just as she knew the footage would come in handy one day to remind Tony that as much as he tried to deny it, he did indeed have a softer side.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A little while later Ianto’s tummy was nice and full and he was happily playing with his bunny and several of the new toys that JARVIS and Pepper had ordered for him. Currently his favourites were the soft plushie versions of the Avengers and out of those, he appeared to like the Black Widow the most, a fact which caused Tony to pout quite childishly. He tried to tempt him to play with Iron Man instead, but Ianto merely looked at Tony with a look that clearly said, “are you kidding me?” before using the Black Widow to whack Iron Man out of Tony’s hand.

The little boy stared at his tad for a moment, as if daring him to pick the toy up and try interfering with his play again and then, satisfied that Tony was going to behave, Ianto turned back to play with his other toys. He had a happy grin on his face as he made Black Widow’s long legs dance all over the other fluff-stuffed heroes.

When Steve, Bruce and Pepper saw the exaggerated pout that graced Tony’s face it took all their willpower not to laugh out loud and while Bruce bit the inside of his mouth and Pepper occupied herself with rinsing off the dish and cup that Ianto had used for lunch, Steve smiled indulgently at Tony. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time till Iron Man becomes Ianto’s favourite.”

Tony glanced up at Steve a shy smile on his face. “You really think so?” He was surprised by how much he wanted Steve to hug him, although he didn’t know why – he _always_ wanted the man to touch him in any way possible, but this time the feeling was much stronger than usual. He watched the way Steve was indulging Ianto’s play by sending several Avenger toys plunging over the edge of the highchair’s tray to crash to the ground – all supported by dramatic sound effects. _‘He’s so good with Ianto, better than I am, like he’s the boy’s father, not me.’_

Sensing his friend’s odd mood, Steve returned his attention to his friend and nodded his head. “I’m sure of it, Tony. You’re his father Ianto knows that and even though he can’t express it, he adores you and that means he’ll adore Iron Man as well. Don’t forget he’s never ‘met’…” Steve framed the word with air quotes, “…Iron Man yet but when he does he’ll love the hero as much as he loves you.” 

“You think so?” Tony looked at him hopefully.

“I know so.” Steve nodded his head decisively as he collected the fallen toys and put them back on Ianto’s tray. “You’re so good with him and it’s obvious that the father/son connection has been made.”

Tony felt his heart swell with pride and joy when he heard Steve’s words although he shook his head. His eyes never left Ianto as he watched the little boy play so happily; he was memorising every one of his movements and sounds. "I have no clue what I'm doing, Steve. I'm not even sure I'm cut out to _be_ a father," he confessed his greatest fear in a low voice.

Steve left Ianto to his toys as he closed the short distance between himself and Tony with two long steps. Clapping a hand on Tony’s shoulder, Steve waited until his friend looked him in the eye before saying, “I watched you when you were sleeping in the living room. You had Ianto snuggled to your chest and even though you were sound asleep when he shifted and started to slide off your hands instinctively closed around his little body and kept him safe.” Steve refused to admit that the sight of them together went straight to his heart and his memory. _‘Why don’t I have the courage to tell Tony how I feel? For a hero I am such a coward!’_ he chastised himself.

“Yeah?” Tony brightened visibly, not only because of Steve’s words but even more so because now he knew that Steve had been watching him, and there was a indescribably something in his eyes as he looked back and for between him and Ianto. “Would you like to…”

Whatever Tony was going to ask was lost when he was interrupted by, “I, on the other hand, am very thankful that they make those toys for all ages otherwise we’d be missing out on this highly amusing scene. An evil person might use it as blackmail material,” Bruce commented cheekily from the doorway. He had excused himself a few moments before o he could set up the equipment he would need to collect DNA samples from Tony and Ianto.

Tony had flat out refused to take Ianto down to one of the labs for the procedure, claiming the child would be much more comfortable in the living room especially considering he had no idea how Ianto would react to being stabbed with a sharp needle. He distinctly remembered being terrified of needles when he was little so he just presumed Ianto might be the same. _‘Like father, like son,’_ he firmly told himself, deliberately ignoring the persistent little voice that said “Deny me all you want, but when those DNA tests come back the truth will come out!”

Bruce had to admit that Tony had a point; Ianto would be much more relaxed when he was surrounded by the comforts of the living room rather than the sterile conditions of a laboratory. It should be easy to distract him with his new toys, and afterwards, he could play very happily in the area that JARVIS and Dummy had, with their normal efficiency, turned into a secure play area while Ianto had been eating his first meal with his father. _‘I have a feeling, Ianto, that you’re going to have a top-of-the-line nursery and playroom that will be the envy of every child and grown man in the world.’_

“Alright, I’m ready to start testing Ianto,”Bruce announced after he finished snapping on his medical gloves. “You wanna bring him back to the living room, Tony?”

Steve picked up as many of the plushies that he could carry and Pepper gathered up the few that were left while Tony slid the high chair’s tray off and set it on the counter. He held out his hands to Ianto who grinned and lifted up his arms so that Tony could scoop him up and swing him over his head. Ianto shrieked with glee as he flew through the air, secure in the knowledge that Tony would never let him fall.

“Careful, Tony, he ate a big lunch,” Pepper cautioned, “you don’t want him to ummm… ‘share’ it with you!”

“You wouldn’t do that to your daddy, would you, big boy?” Tony crooned although he did lower Ianto and settle him on his hip; no sense in taking unnecessary chances. “Let’s go see what Uncle Bruce is doing, okay?” He set off down the hall at the head of an odd parade of heroic adults with hands full of toys; Ianto split his attention between where they were headed and looking back over Tony’s shoulder at Steve. To Pepper, it appeared as though Ianto were studying Steve very carefully while paying no attention whatsoever to her.

“Ta-dah!” Tony exclaimed as they arrived in the living room; Bruce had set up his mini-lab on the coffee table in front of the couch and Tony sat down reluctantly. He really didn’t want to torture Ianto unnecessarily, but… his thoughts were interrupted when Ianto threw his arms around his neck. “Hey, little man, it’s okay, I’m right here and you’re going to be fine, I promise!”

Peeking out through his long lashes, the sight of the swab in Bruce’s hands made him shiver with fear; he didn’t know what it was or what it was for but he didn’t want any part of it. The tears that filled Ianto’s blue eyes spilled over and plopped onto Tony’s T-shirt, leaving big wet spots and a tiny whimper escaped his lips.

“It’s all right, honey, I’m not going to hurt you,” Bruce knelt down in front of Tony and held out the swab for Ianto to examine. “See, it’s just a stick with a little bit of cotton on the tip. I’m going to wipe the inside of your cheek, like this, okay?” Bruce opened his mouth and pretended to put the swab inside and move it around. “That’s all, okay? It won’t hurt a bit, I promise; now, come on, open up, please?” he coaxed.

Ianto stared wide-eyed at Bruce’s antics and then he pursed his lips together into a thin line. He didn’t want to put that thing in his mouth or anywhere else. He buried his face in his father’s shoulder and Tony felt hot tears land on his neck.

Feeling Ianto’s little body shuddering in his arms Tony tightened his grip on Ianto and turned his body slightly shielding his son from what was scaring him. “Hey, little guy, no need to be afraid; your Uncle Bruce isn’t going to hurt you.”

Ianto didn’t move but Tony chose to interpret a soft sniffle as indication that his son was listening to him.

“I’ll be right here with you and I won’t let go of you, okay?”

This time Ianto gave a little nod.

“Tell you what,” a stroke of genius hit Tony. “How about if I do it too? Do you wanna see me go first?”

That was obviously the perfect thing to say; Ianto raised his head and looked Tony in the eye for a moment before glancing over at the swab held out in the most unthreatening way he knew how. Ianto looked back at his father and then down at his mouth, as though he were giving careful consideration to Tony’s offer.

“What do you say, me first and then you?” Tony asked gently. “Would that be okay?”

Bruce found himself raising an eyebrow, he was intrigued by the protective way Tony was holding in his arms but at the way he was speaking softly to Ianto without treating like an idiot and using ridiculous baby-talk. _‘For someone who claims he has no idea how to be a father you’re doing pretty well,’_ Bruce couldn’t help but think to himself with open admiration.

Tony stared down at the boy in his arms and at the trust in Ianto’s blue eyes and he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had looked at him like that; it was a nice feeling. Hell, it was a _wonderful_ feeling! Ianto reached up, put his hands on either side of Tony’s face and without warning, he planted a tiny kiss on his father’s lips. Then, leaving the man totally gobsmacked, he squirmed around to sit on Tony’s lap and held out his hand to Bruce.

“What?” Bruce didn’t know what Ianto wanted.

“I think he wants the swab,” Pepper offered. She’d been standing in the doorway watching and listening to the interaction between father and son and she was just enchanted by Tony’s transformation.

Bruce willingly held out the swab and Ianto closed his little fingers around it. He brought it up to eye level and examined it carefully, even poking the soft end with his finger, and then he looked at Tony’s mouth and tapped his lips gently.

“Do you want to see inside my mouth?” Tony opened his mouth and waited for Ianto to stick the swab inside, but all the little boy did was to peer inside curiously before looking at the swab again. Satisfied with the results of his examination, Ianto held the swab out to Bruce, as though he were granting the man permission to continue.

Bruce accepted the swab from Ianto with equal seriousness and then surreptitiously exchanged it for a second, still-sterile, one. “Okay, you ready?”

Tony grinned. "Sure, swab away, but I’m expecting dinner after this."

Bruce shook his head and rolled his eyes with an exaggerated motion, which earned him a quick giggle from Ianto _. ‘Gotta remember that for later!’_ he thought before he commanded,“Just open up and say ahh!”

Rolling his eyes in a pretty good imitation of Bruce, Tony opened his mouth and did as Bruce commanded, and as he let out an extra-long and throaty “Ahhhhh,” he was fully aware of Ianto scrutinising his every movement very closely. Once Bruce was done Tony turned his attention back to Ianto. "See, little guy, it wasn't that bad.”

Ianto wasn’t totally convinced yet, and he tapped his finger against Tony’s lips a second time. Obligingly Tony opened his mouth wide and Ianto again peered inside. Satisfied that everything was fine, Ianto sat back and smiled brightly at his father.

Tony took a few seconds to bask in the pure light shining from Ianto’s eyes; _‘you have to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,’_ he marvelled as he committed the image to memory and he tenderly stroked his forefinger along the curve of Ianto’s cheek. “Okay, Ianto, now it's your turn, can you open your mouth just like daddy did for Uncle Bruce?"

Ianto looked a little doubtful but as he pulled in a deep breath – it was an action that made Pepper think of an old man who’d seen far too much in his life – but then he slowly opened his mouth. The look in his big blue eyes promised dire consequences and that if anything went wrong he would scream, loudly.

Tony's eyes narrowed at the challenging look in Ianto's eyes. "I know that look, hel... uhh, I mean, heck, I came up with it! So don't even think of pulling anything, young man." He waggled his finger in front of Ianto's face in a parental attempt to lay down the law with his young child.

The look of stubbornness on Ianto's face was so absolutely pure Tony that the three other adults in the room had sudden and suspicious coughing fits which failed miserably to muffle their laughter. Not that their attempts really helped; Tony wasn’t fooled one little bit, and he glared daggers at them all before again focusing his attention on Ianto. Just like a grown-up, the little boy had his little arms crossed over his chest and he still had a look of distrust on his face.

Knowing he face an uphill battle now that the others had broken the spell of fun and cooperation he and Ianto had created, Tony fell back to a parent’s last straw:  bargaining. "How about I make you a deal, little guy; you behave for Uncle Bruce and I'll let you bonk me on the nose any time you like."

"Tony, he's a baby, he's not going to understand you," Pepper pointed out gently.

Ignoring her, Tony stared into Ianto's blue-grey eyes; he saw comprehension and intelligence shining there. No, Ianto was not an ordinary little boy with a blank slate for a brain; he knew and understood far more than his age let on. “Sorry, Pepper, but you're wrong. Ianto understands just fine what we’re talking about. Don't ya, buddy?" and he tickled his son’s tummy.

Ianto merely let out a happy coo and patted indulgently Tony on the cheek, as if he were humouring the older man; his eyes shone brightly with knowledge, before his gaze was once again drawn to Bruce.

Because Ianto had decided to make a game out of the experience – he’d open his mouth wide and then just as Bruce was ready to slip the swab in, Ianto would snap his mouth shut. When Bruce protested, the little boy went into a fit of giggles. It took some doing and several attempts, but they finally managed to get Ianto to cooperate long enough for Bruce to collect a swab sample.

Despite the fun they’d just had, when it was over Ianto made sure to voice his displeasure, rather loudly in fact, over the entire experience. Tony was convinced that it was the taste and texture of the swab was at the heart of the problem because he’d found it a little yucky, so he did the only thing a supportive father could do: he joined in with Ianto’s loud cries. 

His unorthodox parenting style worked because Ianto immediately stopped crying out loud in order to stare in surprise at his father. He didn’t notice that Bruce, Steve and Pepper were all doing the exact same thing – staring at Tony with their mouths hanging open. Was Iron Man having a temper tantrum?

As soon as Ianto had stopped his loud cries, Tony did the same. “Aww, come on, little guy. See, there’s no need for such waterworks.”

“You’re not the one with bleeding eardrums now, dude!” Steve quipped from the far side of the room. “You must have been hell on your mother!”

“Steve!” Pepper shot him a meaningful glare. “Language!”

“Sorry,” he glanced at Ianto, but he was oblivious to anyone but his father. _‘Gotta watch that,’_ he told himself sternly, _‘I don’t want to be the one who teaches Ianto his first swear word!’_

“See, it wasn’t that bad,” Tony cooed as he bounced Ianto up and down in attempt to calm the upset child. “It’s all over and we’ll never have to do it again, okay?”

"You do know, Tony, that even with all this high-tech equipment we have it will still take about five days to get the result." Bruce wondered how Tony would spend his time while waiting to find out whether or not Ianto was his son. _‘Maybe he’ll start teaching Ianto how to blow things up!’_ and he chuckled silently at his own wit.

"I doesn't matter what the test says, Ianto is my son regardless of the results." Tony’s reply was spoken softly but vehemently. He already knew the result would be negative, he’d been over and over the maths in his head, and unless Ianto was a gift of immaculate conception, there was simply no other result possible.

Seeing that Ianto was still upset despite his father’s comforting attention, Pepper had a bright idea and hurried over to the play area before reversing her path and stepping up to the couch. When Tony failed to notice her standing there, she not-so-gently hit him on the arm with the item she’d picked up. With a sharp retort on his lips, he snapped his head around only to end up smiling gratefully when he saw what she held. “Thank you,” he mouthed to her before shifting Ianto in his arms and handing him the stuffed bunny he adored.

A damp but happy smile lit up Ianto's small face as Tony tucked his bunny into his hands and then a huge yawn escaped his lips and as yawns always do, spread quickly around the room. Giving in to the inevitable, he snuggled deeper to in Tony's arms and found a comfortable position against his father’s chest; it had been a long day and he really could use another nap. Within moments, he was sound asleep.

Alarmed by how quickly the little boy had nodded off, Tony looked to Pepper for guidance. "Should he be sleeping this much?" There was a slight hitch of panic in his voice, Ianto had just had a nap earlier that day, just a few hours ago in fact.

A soft smile graced Pepper's face as she viewed the tender sight before her; if someone had asked her yesterday if she thought Tony Stark, playboy, daredevil, mad scientist, was good father material, she’d have answered with a resounding “NO!”. But now, seeing how protectively the man cradled Ianto’s small body against him while one hand gently stroked his curls back from his forehead, she knew she’d have been very wrong. "Young children do tend to sleep more, their little bodies are growing at an amazing rate but he's had a busy day to boot. I don't think a short nap will hurt and it's still earlier enough in the day that it shouldn't disturb his sleep tonight.”

A tiny sigh escaped Ianto’s lips and they both looked at him affectionately. “Besides, it doesn't look like you have much say anyway, daddy; your son has decided you’re his favourite place to sleep," she quipped.

A bit of motion caught Tony’s eye and he watched as Ianto’s small thumb found its way into his Cupid’s-bow mouth without disturbing his sound sleep one little bit. Not even the men could deny just how adorable the scene looked.

Steve continued enjoying the touching sight even after the others had gone back to their own activities; a feeling of deep longing growing in his chest. _‘I want that,_ ’ he admitted, _‘I want to be a part of that little family!’_ and this time his inner voice was vehement. _‘Somehow I have to find a way in…’_

“Hey! I’m talking to you!”

“Huh?” Broken from his reverie, Steve looked up in confusion. “What?”

Bruce grinned. “Where were you, man? We’ve been talking to you for like twenty minutes!”

Rolling his eyes at the gross exaggeration, Steve cast his mind around for a good excuse and then he saw Ianto’s fluffy bunny about ready to slip to the floor. "That reminds me, we need to set up some place for Ianto to sleep." He cast a glance at the clutter of baby items that still hadn't found a home including the crib that needed to be put together before Ianto could go to bed properly that night.

JARVIS spoke up, although he kept his voice very low out of consideration for the sleeping boy. “Sir, Dummy and I have taken the liberty of tidying up the empty room across from yours. With its eastern exposure, the young master’s nursery will be bathed with warm sunlight every morning. With the ensuite bath, bathing him before bed can be accomplished quite efficiently. There is more than sufficient cupboard space for the child’s clothing and toys, as well as a large closet to hold all the accoutrement a growing child requires.”

“Wow!” Bruce exclaimed. “This guy thinks of everything!”

 “Sounds good to me, we’ll set that up as Ianto’s room then,” Tony declared. “Tell me there’s a baby monitor in all the stuff you ordered?”

“Yes, Sir, not only is there a state-of-the-art monitoring system but I have also installed several CCTV cameras in the nursery and the adjoining bathroom as well as three in the hallway one looking direction at the nursery door and the others facing in either direction. The footage will be accessible from every computer in the Tower, as well as from your lab on the Helicarrier.”

"What about my helmet JARVIS, have you wired it up for footage?" Tony asked.

“Of course, Sir,” and if the others weren’t mistaken, the AI actually sounded a little offended that Tony would doubt him.

“Thank you, JARVIS,” Tony sighed with relief. He didn’t want his son out of his sight for a single moment, not until they’d discovered who was responsible for bring Ianto to him and how they’d managed to get in and out his lab without being detected. Most important of all, Tony needed to be absolutely sure that the small boy was in no danger of being taken away from him. Despite knowing that Ianto couldn’t be his biological son, Tony knew beyond a doubt that come hell or high water he would protect him from everything and everyone as if they shared the same bloodline.

Knowing looks were exchanged between the others present; it was well known that Tony liked his privacy – he’d been known to literally throw party-goers out of his house if he decided the party was over before they did –so the completely hands-on way he was with Ianto was a real surprise. But there was absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that he wanted to keep the small child as close to him as was practical.

"Okay then, Bruce and Steve, you can help me set up Ianto's bedroom so the little guy has a better place than Tony’s chest to sleep later tonight," Pepper ordered.

Steve and Bruce quickly fell into line and after collecting the crib’s flat-pack box, the mattress and the carrier bags of bedding, they dutifully followed Pepper out of the living room. After all, there was no use in trying to fight the redhead when she’d made a decision; her word was law, that was that and arguing against it just wasn't done.

Partway up the stairs, Bruce motioned for Steve to slow down a bit and let pepper get ahead of them, and then once he didn’t think she could hear them, he said, “How much you wanna bet that Ianto’s sleeping in Tony’s bed before the sun comes up?”

“You know Pepper; she’s probably already anticipating that move and before we leave she’s going to tell him that a baby needs to sleep in his own crib.” Steve wasn’t so sure.

Bruce snorted. “Do you _really_ think Tony’s gonna pay attention to any rules Pepper lays down where that squirt’s concerned?”

Grudgingly acknowledging that Bruce was right, Steve chuckled, “Lunch all week at Maybelle’s?”

Maybelle’s was the team’s favourite restaurant, a southern BBQ joint owned and operated by a family straight out of the bayou who proudly used a one-hundred-plus-year-old brick smoker that had been in Maybelle’s family since the beginning of time in which to prepare their meats. After Hurricane Katrina had devastated their neighbourhood and their devoted clientele had been scattered to the four winds, she and her husband had dismantled the smoker and brought it north piece by piece before reassembling it in the back of an old bakery.

In less than six months of serving their first rib, they’d expanded their seating venue three times, and today there were _still_ lines of people out the door and around the block all waiting for their turn to eat Miss Maybelle’s legendary food. Maybelle used her grandmama’s recipes for greens, cornbread, banana pudding and other menu items, and a super-secret sauce recipe from her husband’s side of the family that just kept winning awards and accolades ninety years after its first gold medal at the county fair.

Already drooling because he knew he was going to win hands-down, Bruce nodded his agreement. “You’re on!”

“Do you two need me to come down there and carry that stuff for you?” Pepper called down the stairs. Laughing to one another, the men hoisted their load and hurried on their way before she got any closer.

Once he was sure they were out of hearing range Tony smiled down at the sleeping child in his arms. "Thank you, little guy, for getting me out of that. Your Auntie Pepper can be rather scary when she wants to be." Tony shivered as he remembered all the times he managed to earn her wrath. Careful not to awaken his precious sleeping cargo Tony turned around and leaned back into the couch corner; _‘ might as well make_ _myself comfortable, I’m going to be here for a while.’_ Glancing up at the ceiling, he whispered, "JARVIS, please make sure that I’m not disturbed until Ianto wakes up." Tony wasn't willing to take any chances in with the young boy's sleep.

"Yes, Sir." JARVIS' voice programming came out much softer than normal and Tony knew he was doing it for Ianto's benefit.

"Thank you, JARVIS." Tony carefully tucked a pillow behind his head and tried leaning his head back, then gently shifted Ianto so they’d both be more comfortable and Ianto was held a little more securely. He was very pleased with himself when the small child didn't wake up and then, keeping one arm wrapped around Ianto to support him, Tony managed to reach out with his other hand and snag his tablet. The next hour or so of quiet time would be perfect to work on new security systems as well as upgrades to existing programs in order to keep the newest and the littlest member of his ragtag family safe.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Pepper Potts was a beautiful, red-headed, no-nonsense slave drive, something that Steve and Bruce were quickly learning the hard way.

"No, it's not right! Come on, you two, think! The crib shouldn't be that close to the window; if Ianto sleeps near an open window it can make him sick to say nothing of how easily he can be kidnapped by a determined person, and last but not least, what if there was a storm that breaks the window then Ianto could be hurt by flying glass!” Pepper stood with her arms crossed over her chest and surveyed the two men with angry dismay, the look in her eyes just daring either one of them to say something. After a moment, she finally shook her head and pointed to the empty spot between the wall and the door. "Over here, I think,” she declared decisively and then she stood back and waited for them to do her bidding.

Bruce and Steve wisely chose to say nothing as they once again lifted up the crib and moved it to the spot Pepper indicated. Of course the place she was talking about was directly across from the door leading to Tony's room, and the placement of the crib there made sense as it offered the most protection and would no doubt give Tony a bit of piece knowing he could keep a close eye on Ianto just by looking across the hall.

While they were busy getting the crib into the right spot Pepper was sorting through the baby blankets trying to figure out which ones would be the best for Ianto to sleep in, which would keep him cosy but not too warm in the summer nights but be just enough to keep off the chill. She finally settled on one that matched a set of sheets with teddy bears all over them; they were light and just too cute not to use. 

"JARVIS, make sure that there is a twenty-four hour live feed on Ianto's room and on Ianto wherever he is," Pepper ordered.

"Already done, Miss Potts; per Mr Stark’s instructions, I have installed several new cameras that will ensure full coverage of Master Ianto’s room both inside and out, and I have rerouted the video feed to everyone’s personal tablets. Should a problem or danger arise then you will all be alerted simultaneously," JARVIS informed them.

_‘Is that a hint of pride I hear in JARVIS’ voice?’_ Pepper grinned and nodded her head. "That's a good idea, thank you, JARVIS."  She knew Tony wouldn’t be the only one who would be reassured by JARVIS’ caution. Even though Ianto had only been in their lives for a very short time he had become as important to them as he was to Tony. Although she’d never wanted children of her own, there was something about Ianto that triggered instincts and desires Pepper hadn’t realised she possessed. The few seconds she’d held him in the kitchen had pushed all of her maternalistic buttons. Now the need to protect him from the evils of the world including everything from the little boo-boos of childhood like a skinned knee to the big hurts of adulthood like a broken heart was paramount in her soul. 

Pepper cast her eyes up towards the ceiling. _‘Please, if there is any justice in this world, you will allow a miracle to occur and let Ianto be Tony’s son. In all the years I have known him I’ve never seen Tony care about anyone as_ instantly or as deeply _as he_ _does Ianto. So I’m begging you, please do not let this be a trick. I don’t think Tony could survive losing Ianto.’_ At this thought, Pepper cast a quick over at Bruce and Steve; she could see lightness in their eyes that had never been there before and she knew precisely who to thank for putting it there.

_‘In fact I don’t think any of us would survive losing Ianto; he brings to the party that we’ve all been missing. I swear on all that is good and holy that I will fight whatever forces I have to keep that look, that lightness, and that love in our hearts. So whoever you are up there, you better make sure that Ianto stays with us.’_

*****  
“She’s a fierce one.” Loki commented and his admiration was obvious. Since Pepper hadn’t specified which God or deity she was speaking to, he’d easily heard her prayers.

The TARDIS, who was still in her Idris form, nodded her head with a knowing look in her eyes. “Pepper Potts will play a very important role in Ianto’s life and future; while he’ll become close to all the women on the team, it is Pepper who will fill the void where a mother’s love and influence should be.”

“All the women including… _her_?” Loki clenched his fists at his sides as he tried to keep the heartbreak from his voice and eyes, although he knew he’d failed when Idris gently cupped his chin, tipping his head up until he met her glance.

“I know it hurts to think kindly about the woman your soul mate has fallen for, but yes, Loki, Jane Foster will be a part of Ianto’s life. You must have faith, my dear one, I promise you that Thor will rise above the hurt he is feeling for you and finally understand just why it pains him so to think of you as his enemy.” Idris kept her voice gentle; she didn’t like it when any of her friends were suffering, but especially when it was due to unrequited love. “I have seen it; Jane will remain a part of Thor’s life but only ever as a friend, nothing more. There is another out there waiting for her, loving and longing for her, and she just needs to open her eyes to see him.”

A deep shuddering breath was the only response Loki was capable of making and that was all Idris needed to pull Loki into a hug, one he sank into gratefully. It had been so long since anyone had cared enough about him to hug him and make him feel wanted and he actually belonged. Even though he’d have loved to stay in Idris’ arms and enjoy the feeling of warm and love that she provided, he knew that if he didn’t move and soon, he wouldn’t be able to prevent a tear or two… or a hundred… from falling, so he tightened his rip for just a second and then pushed himself away.

Idris wasn’t fooled for a minute, but she let him maintain his aura of manliness. “So, I think things are working out quite well down there, don’t you?” She turned the monitor so they could see Tony, who’d fallen asleep again and let his tablet slip to the floor, and Ianto, who was held securely over his father’s heart.

As strange as it was Loki found himself thinking of Idris and young Ianto as his family and he vowed to the Universe that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Ianto was raised in a loving family which brought forth his next question, “So when do you plan on springing the name of Ianto’s other parent on Stark? Because I’m telling you right now, I want to see his reaction from a front row centre seat with an extra-large popcorn in my hand when he learns who he’s sharing a son with!” There was a distinct sparkle of naughty mischief gleaming from his eyes.

Idris shook her head but couldn’t stop her own hint of a smile appearing. “I thought I would wait until they know for sure that young Ianto _is_ Tony’s son then, when Dr Banner starts looking for Ianto’s other parent, I will visit him and hint that he should check closer to home for the answers they seek.”

A bark of laughter escaped Loki’s lips; he was rather enjoying the fact that the Lady of Time had such a wonderful sense of mischief and humour. “What about the nightmares that are sure to come?” Loki was well aware that while they may have de-aged Ianto and given him a fresh start the memories of who he had been and the life he’d lived before still lingered just beneath the surface. The day would come when they would be awakened and probably not for the better and both Loki and Idris knew that the key lay within Jack Harkness.

Sooner or later no matter where he is in the Universe, the immortal known as Captain Jack Harkness would feel the planet Earth tugging at his soul, whispering to his heart, calling him back.

Back to Ianto Jones.

A sad almost resigned look entered Idris’ eyes. "I wish there was something we could do to either stop them or lessen their impact, but I can’t. I'm afraid that when Ianto – when any of us – well, not me, as I do not sleep – but when any living being sleeps the barrier between his memories and conscious is at its weakest and therefore Ianto is vulnerable. There’s no way to prevent it other than to never let him sleep and we both know that’s absolutely impossible. No, all we can do is be there for him when the nightmares strike and offer whatever comfort we can." 

Loki didn’t like her answer but he knew that Idris was right; their options were extremely limited to the point of being nearly non-existent. "All right, then, we wait and, as much as I dislike them, I know that the Avengers will do everything in their power to help Ianto grow to up to be a strong and honourable man and I can't think of anyone he would be safer with than them." Loki hated to admit it but it was clear that Pepper and the three Avengers had come to truly love Ianto and in his heart he knew that they would gladly give their lives if it meant keeping him safe. "I am kinda wondering though how your dear Captain Harkness is ever going to get close enough to say ‘hi’, much less successfully woo Ianto given who’s raising him."

"It is true, I do love Jack, but you must understand, he carries a part of me within him and so he will always be special to me but I saw the way he treated Ianto, I felt Ianto’s pain when his heart was broken over and over again. Jack was blind to the treasure he held in the palm of his hand; Ianto Jones was his one, the missing half of his heart and the mate to his soul. Unfortunately, my immortal foolishly let his fear of rejection and loss and lust for another who was completely unworthy of him guide his actions.”

The TARDIS’ avatar shook her head sadly. “But I have seen Jack since he lost Ianto and life without his young Welshman it is slowly killing his soul. Unless something changes soon he will become nothing but an empty shell destined to wander the Universe alone forever.” Her expression brightened considerably; “Winning Ianto back will be just the challenge he needs to reawaken his soul and heart and if I know Jack – and I believe I do – he will be up to it."

Idris knew the never-ending torment Jack was putting himself through over his treatment and subsequent loss of Ianto and she was sure that once he learned that Ianto was alive and better yet that he would live as long as he would Jack would be overjoyed. He would do whatever it took to ensure that they spent the rest of their lives together and he would spend every second of that eternity making sure Ianto never again doubted his absolute and inalienable place in Jack's heart.

The all-knowing tone in Idris' voice had Loki raising an eyebrow. "You know this for sure, don't you? You've seen them together in the future, haven't you? You’re absolutely, positively, can’t-possibly-be-wrong about Ianto’s place with Jack, right?” He needed some reassurance if he was going to allow Ianto to remain with Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and the other Avengers. If Idris couldn’t give him that, then he was going to start making plans to remove Ianto from their grasp at the first hint of trouble.

A soft smile played upon Idris face as she remembered the last time she’d checked on Jack and Ianto's future. They were on their twenty-fifth honeymoon, and it seemed as though Jack was rather enjoying – in fact, maybe just wee bit _too_ much – his habit of making his claim to Ianto’s heart crystal clear whenever someone tried to make a move on his Welshman. "I have their love only grows stronger with every passing day and that they are together side-by-side and hand-in-hand right up until the very end. Their love will become legendary throughout the Universe. I promise you, Loki, it is quite the fairytale and one of time’s a most beloved and well-known love stories," Idris finished off in an almost dreamy tone.

Loki's other eyebrow joined its mate somewhere up in his hairline. "I take it you're a fangirl then?" He had learned of the power fangirls held as well as the dangers they posed when he’d last been on Earth. In fact, he had been shocked and even a bit flattered to learn that he had his own personal army of fangirls. _'I wish I’d known about them when I was trying to take over the world, they would have been so incredibly useful in my quest!'_

Reading the thoughts going through Loki’s eyes, the TARDIS put her foot down firmly. "You will _not_ go down to Earth, you will _not_ seek out your fangirls and above all, you will _not_ use them to create an army. No one is ready for that kind of power and the Universe is simply not mentally, emotionally and physically equipped to survive a battle of fangirls." Idris shivered in her high button-top boots; she had seen the many future battles that were the result of fools messing with fangirls’ OTP's and the disasters that inevitably followed in their wake. She knew that there would be many wars fought in the future and soon all the Universe would tremble when they went to war.

At the horrified look on Idris’ face Loki swallowed hard and he actually took a step backwards. "I don't think I want to know."

"Wise choice of action." Idris almost wished she didn't know either but she did enjoy the Janto-shippers as the Jack/Ianto fans would eventually call themselves and their passionate defence of their pairing.

******  
It was some time later that afternoon when Ianto awoke from his nap ready for more play time with the funny man who gave great hugs. There was only one problem in his plan: Tony had fallen asleep while waiting for Ianto to wake up. A tiny pout graced Ianto's normally cherubic face and he did the only thing he could think of. With just a hint of naughtiness in his eyes, he reached out and…

Twitching and sputtering softly, Tony woke up to something because something kept tickling his nose. Annoyed that he’d been dragged from a very ‘energetic’ dream, he squinted his eyes against the light and came face-to-face with the stuffed bunny that Ianto refused to let out of his sight. Looking past the bunny he found himself staring into Ianto's big blue oh-so-innocent eyes, which lit up happily when he saw that Tony was finally awake. "All right, little guy, I'm up; there's no need to tickle me anymore."

A joyful coo escaped Ianto and he wiggled with delight as he realised that Tony was finally ready to play with him; now he just needed to find the other nice man and they could all have fun together.

"Well, well, look who's finally awake!"

The newcomer voice's brought another happy coo from Ianto as he tried his best to turn around and face the very person he wanted to see. Unable to get loose from Tony’s grip, he made a small unhappy sound when he discovered that he couldn't get his head to turn all the way around like he wanted. Whimpering in frustration, Ianto squirmed even harder as he tried to get away.

Tony felt a stab of jealousy when he realised who it was that Ianto really wanted to be with. "I think your littlest fan would like some attention, Cap," he tried to maintain a tone of civility in his voice.

"Really?" Steve's eyes lit up as he moved closer to Tony and Ianto, he’d been wanting to hold Ianto ever since he’d first laid eyes on the little guy but Tony hadn't been willing to share, not that Steve could blame him. "Can I hold him?" Steve asked shyly looking like a little boy himself; another second and Tony expected to see the man shuffle his feet and blush.

Tony's heart melted at the look and he knew he couldn't deny Steve anything, ever. "Of course! You're the one he wants, see?" Tony shifted as he sat up and turned so that Ianto had a clear view of Steve, and the effect was instantaneous. Ianto's little arms lifted as high they could as he tried to reach for Steve and his squirming increased to the point that he planted one small trainer-clad foot right in his father’s groin.

Steve barely contained his guffaw of laughter at the way Tony’s face turned bright-red and his eyes sort of bulged out, and when he heard Tony’s choked out squeak of pain, he had to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek to maintain his composure. “Are you…” _chuckle…_ “o…” _snort…_ “okay, dude?”

“Uh, I will…” _moan…_ “be…” Tony coughed loudly and the sound drew Ianto’s attention. The little boy turned around just enough to shoot Tony a blinding smile before continuing his attempts to reach Steve. Regaining his composure, Tony tried to tighten his grip on the wiggling child but Ianto was just too determined.

"Whoa, little dude, Uncle Steve is coming!" Luckily Steve swooped in like the hero he was and quickly grabbed Ianto just as Tony lost his grip on him.

Ianto squealed with pure delight as Steve raised him up in the air and flew him in a wide circle over his head and his peals of laughter brightened even the darkest corners of the world.

"Hey there, little guy, did you have a nice nap?" Steve asked Ianto as he settled the child so he was resting comfortably against his chest. Ianto began babbling happy and at a rapid-fire pace; there were no real words but Steve had a feeling that would soon change. There was a glint of deep knowledge in those intense blue eyes and if he was truly the son of Tony Stark then he would be talking up a storm in no time. "You're going to be a little mischief maker just like your father, aren't you?"

Ianto’s t-shirt had rucked up exposing his bare skin and Steve couldn’t resist the unspoken invitation; he gently tickled Ianto’s soft belly, making him giggle madly and grab at the man’s fingers. He gabbled something that sound to Steve’s fanciful ears like, “Stop that!”

“You’re an awful lot smarter than we realise aren’t you?” Steve studied his small charge thoughtfully. “In fact, I’m willing to bet that this whole cute thing, with the giggling babbles and helpless baby looks is all just one big act, isn’t it? You’re secretly plotting to take over the world, are you?”

Ianto merely smiled enigmatically and Steve knew that he had his answer. "We’re going to have to keep a very close eye on you because something tells me trouble is going to find you just as easily as it does your dad." Steve surprised himself with how easy it was for him to call Tony Ianto's father. _‘It just sounds so right!’_

"We’ve already made plans on for doing exactly that,” Pepper spoke up as she placed a pile of clean clothes next to Tony. “That one has troublemaker written all over his adorable little face."

Tony's eyes went wide in amazement as he spotted Bruce trying to move around despite having his arms laden with clothes piled so high that that Bruce could barely see where he was going. "You can see, right? I don't want you to trip and hurt yourself and make the other guy come popping out, because as awesome as he is and I am a big fan of the Hulk, I'm not sure that Ianto will be able to understand why his other favourite uncle turned into a big green rage machine."

Behind his burden Bruce rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind as I try not to kill myself with all these soft, fluffy baby clothes."

“Umm…” Tony turned his attention to Pepper. "Yeah, mind telling me what is up with all the clothes? Did you buy out all the children clothing stores?" Tony had never seen so many tiny pieces of clothing – there were shirts, vests, pants, trousers, jumpers, socks, pyjamas, a towelling robe and a few things Tony wasn’t quite sure of – surely Ianto wouldn't need all of these. _‘Unless it’s all disposable and I’ll never have to do laundry?’_ He barely stopped himself from laughing aloud at the thought.

_‘Men!’_ Pepper shook her head a sad look of resignation in her eyes. "Oh Tony, Ianto is still a small child and he's growing like a weed which means he’ll go through all this clothing in a few months. Buying things in a variety of sizes is a wise course of action to make sure you don't wake up one day and realise that Ianto’s clothes are too small for him and your son gets to run around naked all day. Plus I picked up this." With that Pepper proudly held up a miniature black Iron Man t-shirt with a full-colour picture of the hero in full armour emblazoned across the chest.

There was a sharp wolf-whistle from both Tony and Steve while Ianto clapped his hands and crowed loudly, even though he really didn’t understand why. "Well now, that I like!" Tony’s face lit up as if the shirt were actually for him, and his grin grew wider as he spied a few other Iron Man shirts, as well as those with images of his other teammates. There were a few Captain America, Thor, Hulk and Hawkeye mixed up in the pile Pepper had placed down along with team t-shirts with all the Avengers on it.

_'Oh yeah!'_ Tony made an imaginary fist-pump in the air. _‘My son_ _is going to be the most stylish little guy_ _around!'_ He grinned wildly at his friends letting his eyes linger on the vision that was the man of his dreams holding his son like the precious treasure he was and for just a moment, Tony let his imagination wander to what could be. Then, just as quickly, he returned to the subject at hand: Ianto Stark’s amazing wardrobe. Then he froze in place. ‘ _Ianto… Stark.’_  Tony rolled the words over in his head. _‘Hello, this is my son, Ianto Stark.’_  Iron Man felt a surge of pride burst his heart. _‘I really like the sound of that.’_

Tony was yanked from his reverie when Bruce threw a small fleece at his head. “Hey! We’re talking here!  
You wanna join in the convo or just sit there with a goofy grin on your face?”

With precise accuracy, Tony grabbed a bright red trainer that was barely three inches long and lobbed it at Bruce. “I was just thinking about which outfit to put him in first.”

“Well, I think he should be dressed like you,” Pepper said loyally. “He is your son, after all.”

“Well, I prefer the Captain America one myself,” Steve offered. “What do you think, little man? You wanna look like a real hero?”

Letting his friends’ bickering wash over him, Tony started sorting through the closest pile of clothing and a sudden thought struck him. _'Huh, I wonder if we should all autograph them? Ianto would be the only child on the planet with a complete collection of Avengers autographs!'_ Tony was pulled out of his thoughts by something hitting him on the back of the head for a second time. “Hey!”

Pepper stifled a laugh when Tony turned to face a disgruntled-looking Ianto; it was obvious that he wasn't too happy at being ignored. Tony then saw the wicked look on Steve’s face and he realised that Steve had given his son the object that had hit him. Giggling happily, Pepper pointed at Ianto’s pissed-off demeanour; "Oh Tony, that look is so you!" As far as she was concerned, it really was precious to see Ianto giving his father the same sulking look Tony got whenever he didn't get his way. "It seems Ianto does not like to be ignored, remind you of anyone?" Pepper address her question to Bruce and Steve with a raised eyebrow.

Tony shook his head with a broad smirk on his face as he bent down to pick up the stuffed bunny Ianto had thrown at the back of his head. "I think I should keep this since you so generously gave it to me," he teased waving the bunny back and forth in front of Ianto's face. “He’s really soft and fluffy and I think he needs a name.”

Ianto's eyes narrowed dangerously and his face scrunched up and that was the only warning they got before he let out an ear-splitting wail.

"TONY!" Three voices admonished loudly as Ianto’s indignant cries only grew in volume.

"Tony, give Ianto back his bunny this instant!" Steve commanded in a stern tone.

Not that he needed to give the order, as Tony was already moving quickly towards Ianto with an enormous apology written on his face. He bent down to look the crying child in the eyes spoke softly, "Hey, little guy, there's no need for waterworks, I wasn't going to keep your bunny, I promise!” Ianto made impatient grabby hands for his bunny and Tony quickly handed it over feeling really badly as Ianto buried his face in the animal’s fur and gave the occasional sniffle. "Do you forgive me?"

Ianto peeked out around the toy and studied the man before him; he’d felt an immediate soul-deep connection between them from the very moment Tony had touched him back in the lab. He hated seeing the man so sad and since his bunny was safely back in his arms he didn't see any reason to be mad at him anymore. With a bright albeit damp smile, Ianto held out his arms to his father.

A sigh of relief immediately escaped Tony's lips as he gladly took Ianto into his arms and a smile appeared on his face as the small boy gave him a messy kiss on the cheek. As Ianto began babbling on again about whatever was important to him at the moment, Tony and Steve looked over his head and stared deeply into one another’s eyes for several intense moments before turning to listen to him intently.

"I think we have been forgotten," Bruce murmured to Pepper as he finally made his way over to join her on the couch and gratefully placed his load of clothing down.

Pepper smiled as she watched the intimate moment between Tony and Steve before they turned their attention to Ianto. She thought it was so cute that even though they couldn't understand a word he was saying they kept nodding and murmuring little responses. "And you would be right. While the children are busy why don't we get to work? If you’ll help me carry all of this upstairs I'll sort out the clothing and you can get to work setting up the baby monitors," she suggested. _‘I get the feeling these three need to spend a little time alone together.’_

Now that he’d been given something truly useful to do, Bruce happily left the folding and organising of Ianto’s wardrobe to Pepper. It was clear that she planned on making sure little Ianto wore the most stylish outfits that he possibly could and there was no way he was going to get in between her and her fashion decisions.

Plus fashion just wasn't his thing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Arriving at the Avenger Tower hours after the others, Natasha was greeted to a sight she never thought she’d see. "Why is there a baby in the middle of our living room?" Natasha asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Raising an eyebrow she took in the inexplicable scene of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers seated on the floor in the middle of a sea of toys playing with a small child. Steve was making a plush stuffed animal dance while Tony had his hands around the boy’s waist, holding him upright so he could kick his legs and dance with his bunny.

Several feet away, Pepper Potts was comfortably ensconced on the nearby couch folding what appeared to be hundreds of pieces of baby clothes that she then organised into proper and complete outfits. She was talking in low tones to Bruce Banner who was next to her with a lap full of small tools and electronic bits as he finalised the process of setting up what had to be the most high tech-looking baby monitors she had ever seen.

Perturbed that her entrance had gone unnoticed, Natasha cleared her throat as loudly as she could. “What the hell is going on here?” she demanded gruffly. The responses were immediate and simultaneous.

Pepper looked up and snapped, “Language, please!” while Tony puffed his chest up with obvious pride as he informed his teammate, "This is Ianto. He may or may not be my son."

It only took her a second to process the information and then Natasha merely blinked before shaking her head. "Why am I not surprised?” she asked with rhetorical acquiescence. “Personally I expected this to have happened a lot sooner." Given the loose lifestyle Tony engaged in it wouldn’t have shocked her to learn that he had a more than a few children running around out there.

Tony narrowed his eyes at the redhead; he didn’t like the implications of her comment one little bit. "I’ll have you know that I have observed the rules for safe sex since I was seventeen and lost my virginity to Lucy Simmons. For that little piece of nastiness, you won't get the honour of being named his aunt or godmother," Tony informed her in an extremely huffy tone before pointedly turning his back on her and focusing all his attention on Ianto.

Unfortunately, to his distinct disappointment, his son appeared to be completely entranced by the newcomer. Ianto's eyes had gone wide as saucers when he saw Natasha’s head of flaming red hair and the desire to touch it brought out the wiggle-monster in his little body. He began to squirm and twist in Tony's arms using his legs to try and push off from his father’s stomach. His fierce determination to reach for Natasha was quite impressive to Bruce, Steve and Pepper, but as far as Natasha was concerned it was nothing short of alarming. Her eyes were at least as wide as Ianto’s and her mouth was hanging open; the look on her face clearly said she didn’t know whether to stand her ground or turn tail and run for the nearest exit.

Natasha’s uncharacteristic indecision gave Tony a wicked idea.

"Here,” Tony quickly thrust his overly-excited son into Natasha’s arms, knowing that she’d never let him fall and said, “you look after Ianto for a moment. I mean it's clear that he wants to be with you,” which, judging by the way he was staring at her hair with pure wonder, was clearly obvious, “while I go check in downstairs and make sure that Dummy isn't going to blow us up any time soon.”

The reasoning behind Tony’s actions was two-fold; first of all, after Pepper’s strict and very explicit lecture on child safety, there was no way he was taking his son down into his lab until it had been rendered completely safe and child-proof. Second, he certainly wasn't bringing Ianto anywhere _near_ Dummy and whatever trouble he was currently starting. There was no doubt in Tony’s mind that Dummy was up to something; it had been a while – too long in fact – since he’d last checked on the troublemaking bot.

Finally, after seeing how anxiously Ianto had wanted to go to Natasha, Tony really wanted to see just how the big bad assassin would react when she had to look after a small child. Tony chortled evilly to himself as he headed for the door; _‘Ianto’s no ordinary kid, and she’s gonna have her hands full!’_

"What? Tony! Get back here!" Natasha shouted at Tony's retreating back. “I’m warning you, Stark, get your happy ass back here right now!” The only response she got from the fleeing father was the slamming of the living room door.

Ianto, however, patted her face gently and started babbling rather loudly at her, obviously defending his father’s actions, or at least that’s what Bruce thought as he studied Ianto.

Frustrated and annoyed, Natasha turned to Pepper for help but the woman was paying very close attention to folding a pair of trousers _just so;_ she knew Natasha wanted her attention and she refused to look up from her work. Looking down at the small child in her arms Natasha found that Ianto had finished talking to her and now he was staring at her with quite serious fascination. Unsure of what just to do with such a small person, the redhead simply stared back; heaven knows she wasn’t a people person when around adults, _‘so what the hell do I do with a kid?’_ She cast a second, desperately nervous glance at Pepper and luckily this time her fellow redhead knew what she was trying to say.

Setting down the pile of socks she was sorting, Pepper glanced around the room and finally found what she was looking for in the basket of toys in the corner. A handful of long strides took her across the room and then back again, where she stopped next to Natasha and Ianto. Smiling reassuringly at her, Pepper held out the Black Widow plushie for Ianto to see. “Ianto, this is Natasha; she’s just like your toy. See? Remember how much fun you had playing with her after lunch? You really liked bonking Tony on the nose with her, didn’t you?”

That bit of news had Natasha grinning wildly. "Well all righty then, so he's already proving he has good taste? Are you sure he’s Tony son? Maybe it’s a mistake? Apparently he has much more sense than Tony, which means he must get it from his mother's side."

Pepper rolled her eyes; she was well used to Natasha and Tony snarking at one another. "First all, nothing’s been confirmed, we’re still waiting on the DNA results. Second, we’re not sure _who_ Ianto's mother is or how he even arrived in Tony’s lab.” Pepper smiled indulgently when Natasha raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “I'll fill you in later, I promise."

Accepting that that was all the explanation she was going to get for the moment, Natasha turned her attention to the little boy who was busy stroking her hair with the gentle fingers of one hand while the other held tightly to his bunny and the Black Widow plushie. "Well Ianto, I guess it’s going to be up to me and Pep to make sure you have proper female role models. After all, we don't want you to turn out to be another Tony Stark, now do we?" Natasha looked to Pepper for confirmation. She’d never seen herself as a mother or even a mother-figure, _‘_ _but_ _someone_ _has_ _to make_ _sure that this_ _adorable_ _little guy_ _doesn’t turn out to be a_ _spoiled little_ _brat_ _.’_

Ianto wasn't really paying any attention to the conversation happening above his head; he was too busy talking to his beloved stuffed bunny. In his own private baby language, he was tell his furry friend that while he missed the nice lady who sparkled and glowed and took such good care of him when he first woke up, as well as the funny man who gave him his bunny and made him laugh, he was liking the newcomers. Babbling softly, he confided in his long-eared buddy that he especially liked the nice man who cuddled him so closely when he slept as well as the one with the golden hair who tickled his tummy and fed him good things to eat. They both made him feel safe and loved and he liked that feeling very much. Luckily his bunny agreed with him on all points, because that’s what friends are for.

Having satisfied himself that Dummy wasn't near anything dangerous nor was he planning on triggering any disasters in the near future, Tony went back upstairs to the living room only to be greeted by a father’s worst nightmare. Right before his eyes there were two over-grown girls playing dolly dress-up with his son! Judging by the clothes scattered around them, they’d been trying several outfits out on him.

Letting out a deep huff of indignation, Tony stalked over and snatched his son away from the two redheads. “I’ll have you know that my son is _not_ a living doll for you ladies to play with!”

“If you could see the look on your face!” Natasha was absolutely tickled pink that she’d gotten under Tony Stark’s skin. “We’re not hurting him, and he’s not complaining.” She turned to look at Pepper; “Do you hear Ianto fussing about anything we’re doing?”

Tony ignored Natasha’s continued attempts to annoy him; he carried his son over to an armchair and sat down with Ianto standing on his lap facing him. It was time for their first father-son talk. "That's your Auntie Natasha; she can be a bit of a meanie and she likes to see your daddy suffer, so we don't listen to her or what she has to say. And if she ever starts saying bad things about your daddy you have my permission to ignore her completely because we all know it's not true, don't we?" Tony asked as he bounced Ianto up and down on his knee.

Ianto let out a happy coo and then a rapid-fire gabbling of ‘Ianto-speak’ before leaning forward and patting his father on the cheeks. In an act of typical Stark maturity Tony looked over the top of Ianto’s head and stuck his tongue out at Natasha who just shook her head sadly. But there was a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips; even though she’d only seen them together for a few minutes it was crystal clear to her that Tony already loved the little boy and Ianto clearly adored Tony in return.

Now that her favourite new toy had been taken away from her, Natasha turned her attention to Pepper. "So when do I get to hear the story of how Ianto came to be here?"

“Come along then,” smiling tolerantly, Pepper nodded her head towards the kitchen. "There's fresh coffee waiting and I’ll tell you everything you need to know."

“Leaving on my account, ladies?” Steve appeared in the doorway with Bruce close behind him.

“Always,” Natasha arched an eyebrow. “Do you intend to block the doorway all day?”

“Well, as a matter of fact…”

“Oh, do get out of the way!” Natasha pushed Steve aside, grabbed Pepper’s hand and led the way out into the hallway.

Three pairs of eyes – Ianto was too busy introducing his bunny to the Black Widow plushie to pay any attention to what the adults were doing – followed the two redheaded females as they headed for the kitchen and they all took note of the way the women walked next to each other, much closer than they needed to given the width of the hall.

"You know, guys, if Barton were here he’d be making all kinds of smart remarks salted with profane words which I refuse to say in the presence of impressionable young ears, which reminds me; JARVIS, I have a new house rule. From this moment forward, there will be a swear jar set up in the kitchen and we will all be held responsible for what comes out of our mouths and anyone who swears must put money in the jar.”

Bruce moaned loudly and opened his mouth to protest but one look from Steve silenced him before he’d even spoken. Tony was clearly taking the responsibility of raising a child to heart and _‘I, for one, intend to support him one hundred per cent.’_

“Prices will be listed next to each word. JARVIS, you are in charge of monitoring profanity usage and enforcing the rule.” Tony was going to make sure that his son grew up in a wholesome environment without hearing any strong langue. _‘This crowd is gonna fund his University years.’_

"Right away, Sir. Shall I forward a list of banned words to Agent Barton once you have created it?” JARVIS almost actually sounded like he was looking forward to that part.

A bright and mischievous smile graced Tony's face. "Excellent idea, JARVIS, and to make sure Clint actually reads them forward the list to Coulson as well."

"Very well, Sir." If Tony wasn't mistaken JARVIS almost sounded smug about that part of his mission.

“Hey,” Tony turned to see Steve looking at him with something akin to pride shining in his eyes and Iron Man’s heart swelled with emotion as the blonde man continued in a low voice, "That's a good idea, Tony. I really admire the way you’re taking this thing so seriously and I have to admit that fatherhood suits you. It’s actually quite a turn-on.” Steve found himself blushing furiously as he heard the last few words spill from his lips; he was absolutely mortified that his oh-so-private thoughts about Tony had just become public!

Momentarily gobsmacked by Steve’s accidental admission – and he knew it had to have been accidental given the way the man’s face and neck had instantly turned crimson with embarrassment – Tony chose to pretend he hadn’t heard those last words. _‘But this conversation is far from over, my friend,’_ Tony silently promised.   “Actually saw it in an old black-and-white movie,” he confessed with a cheeky grin. “But around here it seems like a good idea!” and he glanced meaningfully at Bruce.

Steve grinned as he followed Tony’s eyes. “So, what are you going to do with all the money you'll no doubt earn?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at the boy in his arms who was looking up at him with open curiosity and pure trust shining in his big blue eyes. "I'll put it in account for Ianto to have when he gets older; basically he’s earned it, so I guess he can spend it on whatever he wants like, you know, stuff like treats and toys. No doubt between Barton, me, and our wonderful boss, Fury, Ianto will have quite the nest egg to spend when he gets older."

Yes, the more he talked about it, the more it sounded like a good idea to Tony; it would give his son something to look forward to while teaching him the value of the dollar and the importance of good manners at the same time.

Anything else that was going to be said between them was lost as a massive crash of thunder almost right overhead nearly made the tower shake. The unexpected Mother Nature-like hello brought forth a gasp of alarm from her littlest resident, causing Ianto to tremble and fling himself against Tony’s chest. In response, his father immediately tightened his grip on Ianto’s frightened little body and began to comfort him. "Hey, little guy, there is no need to fear thunder, it won’t hurt you, I promise, especially not this time because it's not a storm, it's just your Uncle Thor announcing his arrival."

Ianto peeked up at his father and then peered cautiously around the room; he had no idea what a Thor was, but he wasn’t taking any chances on it sneaking up on him. Just in case, though, he pulled his bunny inside the close circle of his father’s arms; bunny wasn’t taking any chances either.

As Tony continued to talk softly to calm Ianto down Bruce and Steve shared a look over their heads. "We’re going to have to talk to Thor about toning down his arrivals; it won't do any good to make Ianto upset every time Thor comes and goes,” Bruce murmured under his breath as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. He should have realised that as a small child Ianto would be afraid of thunder; _‘I sure as hell was when I was his age!’_ and then he cringed, wondering if JARVIS could tell he’d just sworn.

Steve's hands clenched at his sides and he forced himself to remain where he was as he fought the urge to join Tony in his attempts to calm Ianto. He couldn't explain _why_ he was so drawn to the young boy but the inexplicable need he felt all the way to his very soul was so intense he could taste it. He wanted to so badly to protect him to the very best of his abilities and he didn't know why.

"GREETINGS, FRIENDS!" Thor boomed as he arrived. The God of Thunder blinked in sudden confusion as he was abruptly and frantically shushed by everyone and then comprehension dawned as he noticed the tiny human cowering in Tony's arms. "FRIEND TONY, YOU DID NOT TELL ME YOU HAVE A SON?! THIS IS THE MOST JOYOUS OF NEWS!" Thor’s voice, made even louder by excitement rattled the windowpanes in their frames.

Ianto's lower lip trembled as he stared wide-eyed at the big loud man and then he let out a terrified wail and buried his head in Tony's neck. He didn't like the thunderous one at all; he reminded him of someone who, while they didn't mean to, had hurt him in the past.

Feeling Ianto quivering violently against him Tony shot his newly-arrived teammate a fierce glare. "Thor, we've talked about this before, but now you have no choice; it's time to use your indoor voice because you have to stop scaring my son!"

To his credit, Thor did look ashamed for startling the young child to tears and wanting to make amends he moved slowly towards the boy and knelt down next to him, hoping not to frighten him any more than he already had. "I am sorry, little one, I did not mean to frighten you; can you forgive me?" he asked gently and in his quietest voice.

Shyly Ianto peeked his face out from Tony's neck his blue eyes full of tears and Thor's heart clenched; he felt lower than scum for frightening a child. Ianto could see the sadness in the man's eyes; it touched something in his heart and he slowly reached out for him. Momentarily taken aback by Ianto’s generosity, Thor looked up at Tony with hope in his eyes. A sigh escaped Tony's lips as he lovingly handed Ianto over to Thor’s waiting hands. "Be careful with him and watch your strength; Ianto's very breakable," Tony warned.

With gentleness none of the team had ever seen his use before Thor carefully cradled the small child in his large hands and held him close to his chest and then he looked into Ianto's blue eyes. Thor became mesmerised by the unexpected vision he saw staring back at him from the vast depths of Ianto’s eyes. Looking even closer, the god found that he could actually see the golden particle of the vortex swirling around him and as a god, he was able to recognise the truth of the matter: Ianto was no ordinary child.

“What is it?” Tony was the first to notice the change that came over Thor and it worried him immensely. “What’s wrong?”

The God of Thunder looked at Tony with a profoundly respectful attitude said, "He carries the gift of time in him. This is one of the Lady of Time's chosen ones. Your son has a great and wondrous destiny ahead of him." 

Tony’s eyes narrowed with concern; he didn’t understand what Thor meant. “Is this gift going to hurt him in any way? And what exactly do you mean by the ‘gift of time’?”

Thor shook his head. "Nay, my friend, you have nothing to worry about; Ianto is quite safe. Very few have ever been blessed with time's gift and never like this.” He held the child up as though he were presenting him to the world. “Within him lies a piece of the Rift in Time and Space; when he gets older he will be able to control it, he’ll be able to move through time by mere thought. Your son is truly something special, perhaps one of the most unique creatures on the planet."

Tony's chest puffed up with pure parental pride even though he was clearly worried about what dangers lay ahead for someone who’d been blessed with gifts from time. "This gift of his, it’s going to make people come after him, isn't it?" Tony needed to know if his son was in any danger and if so, how much and from whom.

Thor could not lie to a teammate and more importantly not to one he called friend, not about his son. "Aye, I am afraid there will be those who seek his power and those who will seek to control him and those who want the gifts he possesses. We must keep him safe."

"Damn right we will!" Steve growled vehemently, surprising everyone with his automatic defence of Ianto and his less-than-polite language; it was not something they were used to hearing from the living legend.

“This is a new side to you, Captain, I rather like it,” Tony nodded approvingly. In fact, Tony actually found Steve’s fervent albeit profane desire to take care of his son rather hot in some weird way, not that he would ever, _ever_ admit to having a fantasy or two or ten of hearing Steve talk dirty to him while in various states of undress. No, he would certainly _never_ think of Steve Rogers like that at _all_ _‘Oh God, I am such a fool!’_ Tony silently groaned as he forced images of half-naked Steve to the very back of his mind. _‘I’ve just been told that my son is in danger because he’s some kind of miracle child and all I can think about is getting Steve into my bed!’_

While Thor might not fully grasp all the strange customs that human’s had even he could see that there was so much more than simple friendship between his two teammates. _‘I will never understand human courtship; it all seems so unnecessarily complicated.’_ Of course Thor knew from bitter experience that Asgardian courtship practices weren’t all that simple either. _‘Friends, I just hope you do not make the same mistakes that I did.’_

Thor tried not to flinch as he unintentionally re-opened an old wound yet again. He sincerely regretted the actions he hadn’t taken towards the one who held his heart. Oh don’t misunderstand him; he cared for Jane but he just wasn’t sure if she was the one truly meant for him. _‘What am I to do when the only one who makes my heart truly sing with pure love and joy is so far out of my reach.’_

The god knew that there were far too many hurt feelings and too much pain festering between him and Loki for them to ever be anything more than brothers. He could not believe how much it still pained him to admit that the stupid mistakes he’d made were keeping him from finding eternal happiness with the man he loved.

Determined to keep his inner turmoil to himself, Thor turned his attention to Bruce; he knew that his friends did not mind answering questions for him as he continued to learn about them. “Is this another one of your human courtship rituals? Do you often fawn all over the object of your affections because of their particular use of language?”

Amused by the way Thor viewed humans, Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “Sadly, yes it is.”

The God of Thunder just shook his head. “I shall truly never understand humans.”

“Don’t feel too bad, my friend, I’m human and _I_ don’t understand us half of the time,” Bruce admitted with a small rueful smile on his lips. “May be someday…” he let his voice trail off.

“Yes,” Thor sighed, “maybe someday.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As the night wore on Ianto enjoyed being the centre of everyone’s attention and after overcoming his initial fear of Thor he came to enjoy the loud blond. Of all the grown-ups who took turns playing with him, Thor was the best because he would sprawl out on the floor and make the plush characters come to life as they played. He and Ianto would pick them up and act out both battles and dances and Thor could make the best noises Ianto had ever heard with different sounds for each plushie.

When dinner time came around the team decided to order pizza because as usual, there was nothing in the house to cook; Tony enjoyed his bachelor status too much to keep a proper outfitted pantry and a fully stocked refrigerator. On the many occasions when Pepper had complained about the situation, he had haughtily told her that grocery shopping was just too ‘domestic’ for a cool man-about-town like him. While waiting for The Flying Pie to deliver their ten pizzas – Thor alone could eat two large fully-loaded double-meat pies and Tony always ordered enough to have leftovers for breakfast – Pepper prepared Ianto’s dinner and they eventually all sat down together so that Tony and Ianto could eat their first dinner as father and son.

Bruce thought it was adorable that Ianto’s eyes kept following everyone’s slices of pizza from box to plate to mouth and he tore off a little corner of his Cheesey-Overload and handed it to the boy. Of all the toppings available on the table, he thought that cheese would be the most appropriate for a pizza virgin’s tastebuds.

Ianto’s eyes lit up with delight as he accepted the gift and with a happy chuckle, he eagerly stuffed it in to his mouth. Seconds later he spat it out onto the table with a disgusted sputter and then he stared at Bruce with angry indignation. Ianto’s thoughts were obvious to everyone around the table, “How dare you allow me to put something so vile in my mouth!” It was more than the adults could handle and one by one they burst into laughter, well, all except for Tony, that is.

Tony was the only one who saw how embarrassed Ianto was to have everyone laughing at him and how close he was to bursting into tears so he quickly shoved his chair back and scooped Ianto up into his arms. As he cradled his son to his chest and murmured soothing words into his little ears, Tony’s eyes were sending blazing hot messages to his friends, “STOP LAUGHING AT MY SON!”

As quickly as they’d started laughing, the others stopped and busied themselves with eating and drinking or neatly folding their napkins. Dinner resumed but it was slightly more subdued as they consumed their pizzas and discussed various topics and Tony fed Ianto his more child-friendly food. When dinner was over, Steve and Bruce cleared the table and washed up the dishes, Thor took the trash out to the bins, and Natasha and Pepper made coffee. When the kitchen was clean and the coffee tray ready, they all adjourned to the living room.

Tony sat Ianto down amidst his toys so that he could drink his coffee without the risk of spilling but it wasn’t very long before a loud yawn tore itself from Ianto and his eyelids drooped as he struggled not to fall asleep on the floor. As his little body started to topple over, strong, safe and loving arms picked him up and Ianto snuggled happily into Tony’s warmth.

“I think someone is ready for bed,” Tony commented with an affectionate grin playing on his face. Entranced by the sight of Tony holding his son, Steve watched as Ianto’s head kept dropping against Tony and his eyelids kept shutting no matter how hard he shook his head in an attempt to stay awake. Steve was surprised by how strongly he wanted to be the one holding Ianto in his own arms, or to at least be sharing the privilege with Tony. His desire to be a part of their little family was so powerful it was almost painful and he had to force himself to stay seated and casually sip his coffee.

“He reminds me of those baby animals all over the Tumblr,” Thor cheerfully declared; he was rather fond of the videos posted on Tumblr and thoroughly enjoyed watching all the adorable baby animals on it. The Thunder God had no qualms about forwarding every single one he watched to his friends, and it was a regular occurrence for team members to discover that their email accounts had been inundated with messages from Thor.

Tony raised an eyebrow. “JARVIS, restrict Thor’s access to and time on Tumblr. He is not allowed to post _anything_ without permission.” Even if he had to agree that Ianto was as or even more adorable than all those sleeping baby animal gifs that seemed to be everywhere, it wouldn’t fit with the macho Tony Stark image to be seen cooing over baby animals. _‘The last thing I need is for Thor to post videos of my son sleeping or doing anything else on the internet!’_

As Thor and Steve pouted childishly at the loss of their Tumblr time – time which the women thought was quite excessive, although as Natasha pointed out, “it could be worse, they could be watching porn” – Tony fought the urge to fidget under Pepper and Natasha’s knowing smiles. As for Bruce, well, he cheerfully ignored everything that was going on in front of him; he’d discovered long ago that it was just wiser that way.

And as for little Ianto, he had finally caved in to the sleep that relentlessly called to him and right now he was using Tony’s expensive shirt as a drool rag. He was sound asleep in his father’s arms, with one hand tucking his thumb into his mouth and the other holding on to his beloved bunny.

“I think someone is ready to be put down for a nice long sleep.” Pepper lowered her voice to a gentle whisper and commented as she noticed that Ianto had fallen asleep.

Even though he had already seen Ianto’s sleeping face before, once again Tony was blown away by how innocent the little boy looked and his heart swelled with emotion. It was moments like this when he desperately hoped that Ianto truly was his son, that the universe wasn’t playing some cruel trick on him, somehow, someway, the powers-that-be were giving him a miracle. He wasn’t sure how he could survive the disappointment and loss if he wasn’t.

“All right, time to put this little one to bed and then I think I’m going to call it a night as well; it’s been a long day.” Tony stood up and shifted Ianto a little so that he rested more comfortably against his chest. Busy picking up the bunny that Ianto had finally dropped, he didn’t notice the smiles and winks passing over their heads. He wasn’t fooling anyone – they all knew he wanted to be wherever Ianto was no matter what he was doing.

Bruce nodded his head. “I’m calling it a night as well; I just wanna check on the DNA scan.” Bruce knew that Tony wanted answers as soon as he could get them but at the same time Bruce worried about how close Tony had already gotten to Ianto. ‘ _If this_ _turns_ _out not to be his son, it_ _will destroy Tony. ’_

Tony flashed Bruce a grateful smile. “Thank you, Bruce. We’ll see you all in the morning.” Tony whispered his good-nights to his friends before he turned on his heel and left the living room; all the way down the hall and til he disappeared from view on the stairs, he could feel the disbelieving stares of his teammates and friends at his back. _‘What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall to hear what they have to say now!’_ Tony grinned madly.

“I never thought I would see the day Tony Stark would go to bed at nine at night,” Natasha snarked just barely under her breath. “At least not without a bed partner!”

A sweet smile graced Pepper’s lips. “I think that has more to do with Ianto than anything else and I think this is just the start of the changes we’re going to be seeing in Tony.”

Having stared wistfully out the door after Tony, wishing he were going upstairs with him, Steve turned his attention to the women and their comments. “I think it’s rather nice how taken Tony and Ianto are with each other and you know, even if Ianto doesn’t turn out to be Tony’s son, I don’t think that will change how Tony feels about Ianto or how that little boy feels about Tony.” It was crystal clear to Steve that Tony truly loved Ianto and the little guy looked at Tony like he was the greatest man to ever live.

“Friend Steve is right; it  will not matter if they are not related by blood; their hearts have already chosen them as family.” There was a tinge of sadness in Thor’s voice and they all knew who he was thinking of and no one could fault him for missing Loki. After all he was still Thor’s brother, even if Natasha was convinced that there was more to it than that but it wasn’t her place to say anything.

******  
As night fell over the Avenger Tower the inhabitants slept soundly, well not all of them, for the very youngest was slowly sinking into memories of the past and they were not the sweetest or the happiest.

_Fire licked at his skin as screams filled the air! He was trapped in a living hell with no way to escape. He had to find someone, someone who meant a great deal to him. He couldn’t fail her!_

_Before he could figure out who he was looking for the scene changed._

_He was lying in the arms of the man he loved with all his heart. It was getting harder to breath but he knew it wasn’t just the virus affecting his lungs. It was also the intense pain of knowing that he was leaving his beautiful and broken man alone far sooner than he wished._

_"I love you." He wanted to say it, he needed to say it, just once before it was too late._

_"Don't."_

_That single word hurt far more than he could ever admit but he knew why he would say it. It was proof that the man he loved wasn't ready for this to be their final good-bye._

_The rest was hazy but there was a promise, a promise made to him by the man, a promise to be remembered for a thousand years._

The instant Ianto’s tiny whimpers began coming over the baby monitor Tony was out of bed and rushing across the hall into Ianto’s bedroom, reaching for his son just as Ianto’s face scrunched up and he began to cry, deep, truly heart-wrenching sobs that tore at the very core of Tony's heart.

“Hey there, little man, there’s no need for tears, sweetie, daddy's here." Tony lifted his son from his crib and Ianto came willingly, almost desperately, and curled himself into Tony’s embrace. He buried his face in his father’s neck and cried huge teardrops that fell to Tony’s skin like drops of lava.

The sound of footsteps came pounding down the hall, the door flew all the way open and bounced off the wall as the rest of the Avengers came tumbling in to Ianto's room. Leading the way was Steve who had somehow managed to grab his shield in his rush to protect Ianto.

"What's wrong?"

"Why was the little one crying?"

"WHO DO YOU NEED ME TO VANQUISH?"

Sniffling deeply, Ianto clung as tightly and closely as he could to Tony while Tony rubbed his hand up and down his son's back in soothing motions. Keeping his voice low and slow, he said, "Calm down, guys, you're scaring him even more. I think it was just a nightmare, probably brought on by the sudden changes today. And thank you for your enthusiastic offer, Thor, but bad dreams are sadly not something you can vanquish.”

Ianto let out another sniffle and curled deeper into Tony’s embrace as the last of his nightmares lingered, causing him to tremble in Tony’s hold while Tony continued to make calming sounds.

“I think Ianto, not to mention the rest of us, might be more comfortable in the living room while I prepare us something to drink and make up a bottle for Ianto.” Pepper spoke up from her spot in the back of the group next to Natasha.

It was Steve who took control of the situation. “That’s a good idea, thank you, Pepper. I think it will help Ianto to see that he’s not alone and let’s face it, the living room does have a lot more space than the nursery.”

Tony knew that Steve was right; Ianto did need to be somewhere he already knew and somewhere he could see all the others at the same time. “The living room it is then,” Tony declared approvingly as he tightened his grip on Ianto. He was still trying to calm the frightened child; _‘That had to be one hell of a nightmare!’_ Tony kissed Ianto’s head several times and noted that the poor little guy was sweaty and overheated. “There’s nothing to fear, daddy’s here and so are Uncle Steve and Uncle Bruce and Aunties Natasha and Pepper, and we’re all going to take good care of you.”

He would never be able to tell anyone how he knew, but Steve instinctively knew that Ianto was feeling yucky in sweat-dampened pyjamas and without being asked, he went into the ensuite, soaked a flannel with cool water and collected a soft towel. As he stepped back out into the room, he caught Tony’s eye and nodded towards the changing table. Ianto was immediately on the same page and joined Steve without question. A few minutes later, Ianto had been wiped down and dried off, lightly powdered, and was wearing a clean nappy and dry pyjamas.

It all took place so fast that Ianto barely registered that he’d been out of his father’s arms and as they gathered his bunny and prepared to leave his bedroom, his teary blue eyes looked first at Tony and Steve and then at the others who all looked back at him with varying degrees of sadness, sympathy and concern. Even though he didn’t feel as lonely or as afraid as he did moments ago he found himself wishing he had the man from his dreams there with him. As safe as Tony and the others made him feel, the safest Ianto could ever remember being was when he was in the arms of the man who shone in Ianto’s heart like the brightest star in the sky. All Ianto knew about him was that he had the clearest blue eyes; Ianto missed him so very much and he wanted him back.

Still though, it was nice to be comforted by his father at the moment and so Ianto sank deeper into Tony's arms.

******

Making themselves comfortable in the living room it quickly became clear to everyone that there was absolutely no way Ianto was going to let go of Tony. Even when Steve tried to coax him into coming and sitting with him, Ianto stubbornly clung to his father with surprising strength and each time Tony moved he would start to whimper thinking that Tony was going to put him down. To his credit, the man was doing his very best to sooth the crying and distressed child because while he’d never admit it to anyone, in truth Tony was clinging to Ianto just as much as he was clinging to him. Being yanked from a dead sleep by Ianto’s frightened cries had scared him just as much as Ianto’s nightmare had scared him.

The others would have found the interaction between father and son simply adorable if Ianto's tear-streaked face and hiccuppy little breaths weren't tugging at their heartstrings. Until Ianto finally fell back to sleep, exhausted from his long day, his nightmare and his crying, the others all made sure to keep in his eyesight. That night the team was willingly to slept on the living room floor or curled up on the furniture in order to keep a faithful watch over Ianto, who slept curled up on Tony’s chest.

They knew they were going to be in for a long and probably uncomfortable night but they could not blame Ianto for being too frightened to be alone; whatever nightmare he’d suffered had truly shaken him to his core. Steve hadn't surprised anyone when he became the first to dash upstairs and then return moments later with his bedding as well as the pillow and blankets from Tony’s bed which he spread out side-by-side in front of the couch. He helped Tony sink carefully down to the floor, and then he tucked Ianto’s bunny under Tony’s arm so that its head was next to Ianto’s before pulling their blanket up.

While the others hurried off to get their own bedding, Steve laid down just a foot or so away from Tony, making sure that he was still clearly within Ianto's line of sight, something he was pleased to see seemed to calm Ianto down even more. As he settled his head on his own pillow, Steve caught Tony’s eye and he silently gasped at the look of tenderness he saw directed not at Ianto, as he would have expected, but at him!

Within ten minutes, Camp Ianto was in full swing; there were pillows and blankets everywhere and at some point, Bruce had retrieved juice boxes, bananas and grapes from the kitchen, in case anyone wanted a snack. Just when it seemed like everyone was comfortable, Ianto surprised them all by clambering off of Tony’s chest and toddling unsteadily over to his toy chest. It took a while and involved several false starts and a number of unexpected plops backwards onto a well-diapered bottom, but he carefully selected and then delivered a stuffed plushie to each member of his slumber party. He insisted on tucking the toy under his or her arm and then kissing each person on the cheek.

It surprised no one that he saved Steve and Tony for last and after presenting each man with their sleeping buddy, Ianto clasped their face with both hands and planted a kiss on their lips, a fact which was not missed by a single person in the room. As he settled back down on Tony’s chest, he rewarded his father with a highly satisfied, radiant smile.

If Tony had been alone with his son at that moment, he’d have let the tears that suddenly filled his eyes spill down his cheeks.

Realising that no one was quite ready to fall asleep, Bruce turned on the television and started flipping through channels until he’d found the twenty-four-hour young children's network which was airing a Winnie the Pooh marathon and the “fuzzy little bear all stuffed with fluff” gained Ianto's delighted attention right away. "It seems no matter how much things change that bear still manages to enchant children," Bruce murmured to Natasha. “Even the big kids,” he added, nodding over to Thor who was absolutely mesmerised by the rotund little bear and his friends cavorting across the screen.

As Natasha made herself comfortable she felt herself smiling with happy memories. "Winnie the Pooh always seemed to have the right advice and it's a shame that not everyone kept his lesson close to their hearts."

"What a world we would live in if only we followed the wise words of that honey-loving bear," Bruce agreed as he found himself being drawn into the movie.

Pepper soon found everyone completely involved in the Winnie the Pooh movie and she was pleased to see Ianto's tears and trembling had completely stopped as he watched Tigger pounce on Winnie. Being as quiet as she possibly could, she slipped out and to the kitchen, where she found a tin of cookies and heated up a pan of milk. When she returned to the living room, she made sure to stay out of people’s view as she handed out glasses of warm milk and let each person select a few cookies. At one point she shook her head at Steve when he looked ready to get an offer his help

"I've got this and besides, I don't think Ianto would like you leaving him." Pepper pointed downward and Steve discovered that it was true. Somehow Ianto had managed to slide down between Steve and Tony’s bodies where he sat in a V with his head resting on Tony’s side and his tiny feet on Steve's shoulder as if he needed to make sure Steve wasn't going to leave him. It was both an adorable and a heartbreaking sight.

Pleased that Ianto wanted him to stay close, Steve happily accepted both his and Tony's cups along with Ianto's bottle. "Here you go, little guy," the captain murmured as he gave Ianto his bottle. Ianto latched onto it and began sucking greedily but while his eyes never left the movie they were slowly drooping as sleep once again called to him.

_'I hope that no more nightmares visit you and you only have good dreams for the rest of the night.'_ Steve sent his prayers out to the Universe; he had firsthand experience with how powerful and frightening nightmares could be and the last thing he wanted was for Ianto to have to endure them at such a young age.

Over Ianto’s head, Tony shared a look with Steve and they both knew that they would do everything in their power to keep Ianto from experiencing any more things that would give him nightmares. But their shared look also acknowledged that the life they’d chosen was dangerous, filled with evil, and it was an ugly fact that should any of their enemies learn about Ianto and his mysterious, still-to-be-discovered abilities, the innocent child would be placed in grave danger.

While Steve grabbed Ianto’s empty bottle as it slid from his fingers Tony gathered the little boy up and laid him along his chest. _'I promise you, Ianto, I will use_ _my very last breath_ _to keep you safe,'_ Tony vowed as he pressed a kiss into Ianto's curly hair.

A loud yawn escaped Ianto as he nuzzled his head against Tony's chest and before they knew it Ianto tucked his thumb into his mouth and gave into sleep once again. This time they would all be there to comfort him should the nightmares return.

******

Waiting anxiously until Ianto was once again deeply asleep and the others had joined him, Loki silently appeared in the Tower’s living room. He double-checked that he was invisible to everyone before slowly moving through the crowded floor taking great care to avoid stepping on any out-flung hands and feet. "I never thought I would see the day when the mighty Avengers would willingly spend the night sleeping on the floor just to sooth an upset child." Loki shook his head with amusement. "Where were you when I tried to take over the world?" the God of Mischief asked under his breath. There was something odd in the room and Loki cocked his head, trying to figure out what had caught his eye and then it dawned on him.

The mighty and heroic Avengers were sleeping with stuffed animals!!!!

Loki had never seen anything like it in his life and he had to clap his hands firmly over his mouth to keep his peals of laughter from getting out and waking his sleeping audience. It took several minutes to get himself under control and when he finally did, he studied the sleeping Ianto and the Avengers who had settled themselves around him in a protective pattern that covered all the entry points to the living room. It reminded him the way the settlers of the old West would circle the wagons at night; he’d seen it years ago in an old movie.

"Oh my dear boy, you have had such a tough life for one so young, and we can only hope things will be better this time around. I know that you do not yet understand why the man with the blue eyes and greatcoat is going to be such a big part of your future as he was in your past." Loki made a distasteful face at the thought of the immortal Jack Harkness; he was not fond of the man and he really wished Jack wasn't going to have anything more to do with Ianto, but that was out of his hands. Loki was eagerly looking forward to watching the Avengers give the man their version of the 'if you hurt him…' speech; it promised to be a very entertaining and satisfying performance. _‘It’ll be nice to see the pompous arse get put in his place!’_

Realising that he couldn’t hang out with the sleeping Avengers too much longer, Loki sighed and reached into his pocket. "A little gift for you that I think your bunny will enjoy, plus I can't wait to see everyone's reactions." Loki smirked broadly as he carefully pulled Ianto's bunny out from under his arm and then dressed it in an outfit similar to his own. Just as carefully, he tucked the plushie back into position and admired his handiwork. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy their reaction so very much.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ianto's nightmares didn't return for the rest of the night and they all awoke in the morning pleasantly refreshed despite their unusual sleeping situation. Steve was the first to open his eyes; he found himself lying on his side with mere inches separating his face from Tony’s. At some point during the night, Tony had also turned onto his side and both men now lay with Ianto cradled between their bodies. Looking at Ianto brought a tender smile to Steve’s lips; the little boy lay on his side, just like his father while Tony’s arm rested gently around his son’s waist. Ianto was using his bunny as a pillow and had his thumb between his Cupid’s bow lips. The words innocent angel popped into Steve’s head and he felt a swell of emotion fill his heart; _‘I hope Tony understands what an incredible gift you are, young man. As impossible as it would be, I truly wish you could be my son as well.’_

Tony was the next to wake up; Steve saw the signs just in time to close his eyes and pretend he was still sleeping but he wasn’t fooling anyone. “I know you’re awake,” Tony whispered.

Feeling silly, Steve looked into Tony’s browneyes and smiled. “Good morning,” he whispered back. “Someone slept well,” he nodded towards Ianto. He reached down to stroke the fringe from Ianto’s forehead just as Tony moved his hand to do the same, and their fingers met in a fiery display of invisible sparks. Both men jerked away and then stared at one another with a mixture of surprise, intrigue, delight and confusion. They were saved from exploring the situation any further when Ianto stirred between them and came to life with the amazing energy of a child but the last look that passed between Tony and Steve clearly said that their discussion wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

Unfortunately, despite hopes that Ianto’s nightmares had been the result of his tumultuous day, they still made a brief appearance the next night. Unable to actually sleep, Tony had dozed lightly, holding the baby monitor on his pillow next to his head and he was out of bed and across the hall at the first hint of Ianto’s distress. This time, Steve was the only one who showed up in the nursery; he’d been unable to fully fall asleep and he’d heard Tony talking softly to Ianto. Without even discussing it, they made the decision to move Ianto's crib into his father’s room; it was clear that Ianto slept better knowing that there someone close by to hold him after he awoke.

As much as he would have like to stay upstairs and play with his son all day, Tony Stark had projects to oversee and schedules to keep. The other team members all had business outside their warm little world to attend to so the tower emptied by mid-morning. Unable to put off going to work any longer, Tony was forced to retreat to his lab and it fell to an excited and eager Steve to look after Ianto, an assignment that he undertook with great relish.

Over breakfast the adults had unanimously decided that until they had the DNA test results and it was a proven fact that Ianto was indeed Tony's son they would keep Ianto's existence from Fury and SHIELD. But with almost a week to go before the answer was known, the secret was beginning to weigh heavily on them all, including Loki. 

The fact that no one had noticed the new outfit on Ianto's bunny made the God of Mischief pout like a child; he wanted to see their reactions. Idris found it highly amusing to watch Loki stomp around her halls like a grumpy bear muttering snarkily to himself about self-absorbed humans.

It seemed like time had deliberately slowed and was slipping by at a snail’s pace; Bruce had taken to barricading himself inside his lab in order to escape Tony's constant demands for information on whether or not the test results where done yet. Even Bruce admitted that it was pretty chicken of him to hide away, but it was the only sure way to stop him from bringing out the big green guy. It was probably just as well that Bruce did exercise discretion; he wasn't sure that Ianto or the Hulk was ready for that meeting just yet. To tell the truth, he actually had no clue how his alter-ego would act around such a small and innocent child and he didn't want to accidently hurt Ianto.

Tony was a nervous wreck and his non-stop pacing was driving them all crazy, particularly the women; he was on Natasha and Pepper’s very last nerve. “Tony, wearing a hole in the floor won’t make the test results come faster,” Natasha snapped out, her patience at an end. She turned to glower at Pepper, who’d just stopped her from throwing a coffee mug at the anxious father.

“Well, excuse me!” Tony halted in mid-step and glared at the redhead. “I’m a little worried here! This is only _the_ most important test result of my life, and it doesn’t matter which way it goes, my life will _never_ be the same again.”

"I get that, Tony, really I do, but how will you get your hands on those results when you're dead because you pissed me off and I killed you to stop all of your damn pacing?" Natasha pointed out with a sickly-sweet smile on her face, one that warned Tony he was walking on very, _very_ thin ground.

Trying to keep the peace, Pepper intervened, "Look at Ianto, he doesn't care, why don't you take a lesson from him?"

Tony looked down at Ianto who was ignoring everything – especially the adults – and playing quite happily with his stuffed bunny. Something was different about the bunny and Tony stopped to take a closer look; somehow his fluffy body appeared to be wearing an outfit similar to Loki's. "Where the heck did he get that?" Tony demanded and looked accusingly around the room.

Everyone followed Tony's gaze and while Steve frowned with concern, Pepper and Natasha each raised an eyebrow as they all realised what Tony was talking about: their sweet Ianto was currently playing with a fuzzy-tailed, long-eared version of Loki, the God of Mischief.

"You don't think Loki has something to do with how Ianto got here?" It was Pepper who finally voiced the question on all their minds.

"We can't know for sure,” Steve shook his head while Tony scowled deeply, “and even if he does I don't see what Loki hopes to achieve by using a child," Steve commented.

"It doesn’t matter what he wants; I still don’t want my son playing with a bunny dressed like Loki! Tony glared at the offensively attired bunny. “Not when he could be dressed up in an Iron Man costume!" and then he blushed as he realised how childishly jealous that sounded.

"I don't think Ianto likes that idea," Natasha commented when she noticed that Ianto had stopped playing with his bunny and was instead sending a child’s version of a steely glare at Tony.

They watched in amazement as Ianto’s eyes narrowed before he tightened his grip on the bunny and shuffled around on his bottom the best he could to give them his back. "I'd say the subject is closed, people, Ianto has spoken. Beside, a silly costume isn’t going to hurt anyone." Pepper flashed Tony a reassuring smile knowing that Loki was still a sore subject for all of them.

"Fine, but if it turns out to be evil I'm burning that bunny," Tony declared firmly.

******

The five days dragged on and by the end even Thor and Ianto were on edge; the waiting was killing them. They all wanted to know if their precious little boy really was Tony's son.

"Sir, Mr Banner has left the lab and is on his way to your location," JARVIS announced, news which immediately brought huge smiles of anticipation to everyone's faces.

Tony's leg began bouncing as he impatiently watched the door like a hawk and even Ianto got caught up in the excitement although he didn't have a clue why. All he knew was that everyone he loved was happy about something and that made him happy. He started babbling quietly to his bunny, sharing his thoughts on the matter and the fact that the still oddly dressed bunny agreed with him made him giggle.

"Well, what does it say?" Tony practically pounced on Bruce the instant the poor man stepped foot inside the kitchen.

For a moment Bruce thought about making Tony wait, just to get back at him for the non-stop pestering and nagging he’d had to endure for the past week, but then again he had a feeling that these past five days have been trying enough for the man. He really wanted to say, “May I have a drum roll please,” but he managed to refrain. 

"Congratulations, Tony Stark, you are officially a dad," Bruce informed Tony with a big grin on his face.

Tony blinked several times as his brain processed the information he’d been waiting so long to hear and then a huge smile spread across his face. With a whoop of joy, he scooped Ianto up into his arms and flew him around his head in a big circle. "Hear that, little man, I'm your daddy!"

Ianto looked deeply into Tony’s eyes, and Tony would later swear that for just a second, he saw the vastness of the Universe looking back at him. Shaking his head, he continued, “and do you know what that means?” He swooped Ianto around in another circle, narrowly avoiding flying him right into Thor’s head. “That means you’re my son!”

Caught up in Tony's irresistible excitement Ianto began babbling happily and waving his bunny at everyone as Tony jubilantly danced them around the room. With a proud smile, Bruce shook his head in amusement as he watched father and son interact so joyfully with one another.

"THIS IS INDEED GLORIOUS NEWS, MY FRIEND!” the God of Thunder boomed out his congratulations. Overcome by the momentous news, he forgot all about keeping his voice down. “We should celebrate and hold a massive feast for this joyous occasion." Thor was happy for his friend; it was clear to everyone that Ianto and Tony truly cared for one another.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea and since Clint and Phil are due back today we can make it a joint party," Pepper suggested.

Tony grinned down at Ianto; oh, he couldn't wait to see Clint and Coulson's reaction to meeting Ianto. _'I wonder if I can finally make a certain cool and calm super-agent lose his composure!'_ Tony thought with giddy enthusiasm; today was truly shaping up to be a good day. _‘Actually though, given the confirmation of Ianto’s paternity, getting one over on Clint will just be icing on the cake!’_

Pepper looked closely at the small boy in Tony's arms and realised that she could clearly see Tony in Ianto’s features. _'How did I never notice that before? I guess I didn't want to see it until I was sure that they really were father and son. I couldn't be happier for you, Tony; you finally have someone who will love you unconditionally. Maybe, just maybe, Ianto will be the key to getting you and Steve to get your acts in gear and finally admit that you belong together. That would make this perfect.'_ Pepper fought the urge to roll her eyes as she noticed how Steve had nonchalantly drifted over to join the new little family.

“You know Clint is going to have a cow because he missed all this excitement and I promise you, he's going to be pouting about this for days," Natasha murmured as she came to stand beside Pepper.

Pepper giggled, unable to keep a straight face as she said, "I have a feeling he and Ianto are going to get along great; they’re the same age in maturity."

“Nah,” Natasha’s smile grew even wider. "I think Ianto just might be a little more mature than Clint."

"I have a feeling that it’s more than just Clint we’re talking about here," Pepper added as she watched both Tony and Thor make funny faces at Ianto who clapped his hands and chortled with glee.

Natasha and Pepper shared a knowing grin there was no doubt about Ianto was more mature than half of the Avengers and in some ways that was a little sad. But at least Ianto would have them, two sensible females, and Bruce to balance things out. "You know Darcy's going to love him." Natasha had come to adore the feisty young woman who proudly reminded everyone that she had Tasered Thor the first time they met.

"What are the odds that Darcy will find a baby-sized stun gun and begin training Ianto right away on how to use it?" Pepper could see Darcy doing precisely that and she began to prepare a mental list of who she wanted to see zapped first. And second. And third. And...

A wicked smirk curled Natasha's lips. "Even if she can't find it, she'll convince someone to make one for her." One thing she had learned about Darcy since the young woman had joined SHEILD was that once she had her mind set on something there was simply no stopping her. It was just a shame that she wasn't due back till next week because Natasha was eagerly looking forward to her meeting Ianto. _'Oh well, I'll just have to amuse myself with Clint's reaction for the time being.'_

******

"Honey, we’re home! Did you miss us?" Clint called as he came prancing into the Avenger Tower’s living room only to stop short and do a comical double-take when he noticed the building’s newest addition. Clint Barton had seen a lot of strange things in his life – a _lot_ of inexplicable things – but the sight of Mr Macho, Tony Stark, cradling a small child to his chest, a miniature human being wearing, of all things an Iron Man shirt was defiantly new. He wanted to say, “When did we start baby-sitting the neighbour kids?” but there was something about the look in Tony’s eyes that told him not to be too flippant, so he settled for, "Who's the mini fan?"

The answer came in unison from all directions: "Tony's son!"

The man in question was seated on the floor playing with the Black Widow and Iron Man plushies while Ianto danced his bunny around them both. Tony took a great amount of joy at the sight of SHIELD's top agent losing his composure at  the group’s announcement and he nearly tripped over his own two feet as he staggered towards the closest chair. It was rare to see Phil Coulson affected by something and Tony was going to enjoy this moment for a very long time. _'Mental note: save that CCTV footage for later.'_

In the years to come, Tony would take great pleasure in watching and re-watching the CCTV footage – courtesy of JARVIS, naturally – of Clint’s mouth literally falling open and his eyes bugging out of his head as he looked from Tony to Ianto and back again to Tony. The man was absolutely flabbergasted, and as far as Tony was concerned, his long-awaited victory just kept getting sweeter with time.

Clint sat with his elbows on his knees; he blinked and opened his mouth as though to speak, and then closed it before blinking again several times. His team-mates could see the wheels turning in his brain as he tried to wrap his mind around the unexpected and inexplicable news. Finally the super-agent gathered his wits about him and kneeling down to get a good look at the little boy who had crawled into the security of his father’s lap and now sat happily in Tony's arms, quietly studying the newcomer.

Unfortunately, the only thing that came out of Clint’s mouth was, “Huh?” and he stared stupidly at the little boy.

For a moment Ianto just stared back the man before lifting his bunny and with perfect aim, he bonked Clint on the nose.

"That's my boy!" Tony proudly crowed as Clint stumbled back from Ianto and fell onto his butt with a shocked look on his face that quickly morphed into an extremely childish pout.

"Yeah, okay, he's Tony's son, all right." Clint climbed to his feet, regained his seat and folded his arms over his chest as he stuck his lip out and began to sulk. "Why doesn't your son like me?" he whined pathetically at Tony.

Too busy making silly faces at Ianto to pay any attention to Clint, Tony shrugged. "I guess he must have good taste."

As he knew it would, Tony’s pronouncement only made Clint pout more and of course had Natasha and Pepper wondering just who the real child in the room was. As they had predicted earlier, it was clear Ianto really was so much more mature than either Tony or Clint.

"Do we know who the mother is?" Coulson, who had followed Clint into the Tower and then just stood in the living room doorway watching and listening, asked calmly. His question caused Clint to perk up; he found that he was rather interested in knowing what woman would ever give up such an adorable child and entrust his health and welfare to Tony Stark.

Bruce shook his head. "Not just yet, no, but I’ve set up a search program to compare Ianto's DNA with every single sample that's on record. It's a huge data base, so it’s going to take a while."

Tony had scrambled to his feet, a bit gracelessly given the bundle of squirming child in his arms, the minute he’d noticed Coulson at the door. The incident with Ianto bonking Clint on the nose was quickly forgotten and the archer quickly took advantage of Tony’s momentary distraction as he snatched Ianto from his father’s arms. Ignoring his shout of outrage Clint danced Ianto across the room and then dropped to the floor amidst the pile of toys and sat Ianto across from him. Without hesitation, he began playing with the stuffed Hawkeye teddy bear lying next to him making it cavort and frolic around Ianto and his bunny, much to Ianto immense delight The little boy was babbling a mile a minute to his new friend, clearly delighted to have someone who loved to play as much as he did.

The corners of Coulson’s eyes crinkled up into his version of a smile as he watched his lover play with the small child who had easily and fully accepted him as a playmate. While it was indeed a sweet picture, at the same time Coulson couldn't help but hear the little voice in the back of his mind worrying about what his lover just might end up teaching the small boy. Visions of Clint taking Ianto on unsanctioned fieldtrips through the Helicarrier’s air ducts flashed across his eyes. _'This could be a real problem; who knows what kind of trouble Clint’s going to get them into.'_

There was no absolutely doubt in Phil's mind that Clint was going to enjoy taking every possible opportunity to teach Ianto all the naughty tricks he knew. _'Good lord, now I really am a baby-sitter!'_ Coulson shook his head in wonder; _‘ how in the hell did my_ _life turn_ _out like_ _this?'_ He watched Tony and Thor as they joined Ianto and Clint in playing with the wide variety of toys that littered the floor. _'Oh right! I met Tony Stark.’_ He sighed deeply, knowing that despite the problems and surprises that accompanied such a friendship, _‘I know I wouldn't change anything.'_

******

The joint welcome home/welcome to the family party was a complete and unrivalled success right up to the moment when, ten minutes after everyone had finished dinner and gone into the living room to relax, Clint had stolen Ianto away to the toy pile when Tony was in the bathroom. Fortunately, Ianto had taken to his Uncle Clint pretty well and was content to be in his arms for most of the night.

Sitting snuggled up on the love seat with Pepper, Natasha was convinced that Ianto wasn't paying any attention to whatever Clint was telling him as he spent most of his time playing with and babbling to his stuffed bunny. Natasha fought the urge to laugh out loud when at one point, Clint had tried to convince Ianto to play with the stuffed Hawkeye bear instead of the rabbit, and after enduring the man’s persistent attempts to swap out the bunny for the bear, Ianto had responded quite pointedly by bonking Clint on the nose again although this time it was with the Hawkeye bear.

With his beloved bunny back in hand, Ianto had then crawled several feet away refusing to even look at Clint for the rest of the evening; every time Clint sat down next to him or moved into his line of sight, Ianto would turn his back to him until he’d finally stopped trying.

Clint had pouted for an hour, telling anyone who’d listen that he was just trying to get the bear equal play time while Natasha had made sure that JARVIS sent her a copy of that footage. It was about to become her computer's new background.

In spite of that one little hiccup in the evening’s activities, Ianto had been the hit of the extended family’s small get-together, bringing them together like nothing else ever had. But as the night grew darker sleep began to call to the young child and Tony happily reclaimed his son from his toys. When a still pouting Clint had asked if he could put him to bed, Tony had arched one eyebrow and responded, "Oh for crying out loud! Go play with Coulson; my son needs his sleep."   
  
Freshly bathed in clean pyjamas and with a now naked bunny in his arms, Ianto was tucked into bed with his father, where he now started every night; once he’d fallen deeply asleep, Tony would take him put him in his own crib. Nestled against Tony the little boy let the familiar and reassuring sound of his father’s heartbeat wash over him and sooth him to sleep. As he dropped off, he wondered how long it would be before his other father joined his growing family.

******

Having heard Ianto’s last thought, the TARDIS knew that the time had come to reveal the next piece of the Ianto Jones/Stark puzzle. _'Oh, this is going to make Loki very happy,’_ she rubbed invisible hands together. _‘I wonder if he'll bring popcorn?'_ The TARDIS was rather fond of hot, buttery popcorn even if she could only eat it when she was Idris. "I'll have to ask him the next time he visits, but it’ll have to wait, for now it's time to set the next stage of our plan in motion."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_The beautiful woman appeared out of nowhere and stood before him with an ethereal glow swirling about her. "You have in your grasp one of my precious chosen ones, Mr Banner; he's had a hard life and this is his well-earned second chance. Please take care of him for me."_

_Bruce blinked as he peered into the golden glow at the foot of his bed and he wondered if he had finally gone insane. "Who are you?"_

_Idris smiled indulgently at Bruce. "I'm time herself as well as the guardian of Ianto Jones or as he is now known as Ianto Stark. I am the one who brought him to you."_

_Bruce blinked this time in comical surprise, but given that he turned into a giant green rage machine and was currently sharing a home with a billionaire genius who just happened to be Iron Man, as well as with the first super soldier, the God of Thunder himself, two master assassins, a super-agent and had battled aliens from another world who were working with the God of Mischief, he decided that talking to Lady Time herself wasn't that big of a stretch._

_Having gathered his wits about him, Bruce asked the question that had been on his mind all evening; "Can you tell me the name of Ianto's other parent?" He logically figured that if anyone should know it would be the woman who’d brought Ianto to them._

_Idris smiled_ _in such a way that Bruce knew she wasn’t going to answer his question straight out. "I believe I would compare Ianto's DNA to that of your teammates; you will find your answers there." The smile faded from her eyes as a distant look took its place. "Ianto is a special child, Mr Banner, one who has lost so much and known so much pain and loneliness that this was the least I could do for him. I’ve give him something he didn't have before, a loving family and a promising future."_

_A thoughtful look appeared on Bruce's face. "Ianto Jones? Why does that name sound familiar?"_ he _asked mainly to himself._

_"Because Ianto Jones was the brave young man who died trying to stop the 456 from taking ten per cent of the Earth’s children." There was a deep sadness to her eyes. "He died in the arms of his soul mate, although at the time neither man knew how deeply entwined their lives were until it was too late. Twice Jack was willing to trade the world to get Ianto back but the second time Ianto chose to do what was right rather than what he wanted for himself. Ianto Jones sacrificed himself and his chance for true love in order to stop a powerful demon from escaping its eternal prison and destroying the world. What he didn't realise when he did so was that he was going to be absorbed by rift in time and space or that the rift would bond with him." Idris looked off into the distance as she remembered all the troubles that her two precious ones_ _had gone through._

_"So our Ianto is actually your Ianto and this is his second chance?" Bruce guessed. “Sort of a reward for everything he’d been through?”_

_Idris smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, my dear Ianto didn't have the greatest childhood; he endured abuse at home as well as bullying at school. This time as he grows up I plan on giving him everything he didn't get in his first go-round. Plus the power that flows through his small body makes him a valuable commodity to those who would seek to control him and use that power for their own nefarious purposes. This is why I have brought him here to you; I know you will all love him, protect him and raise him to become a good man.”_

_A wicked glint made her eyes shine as she added, “Most importantly, he is the key to getting two very stubborn men together."_

_Bruce smiled knowingly; he had a very good idea of just who she was talking about. "I can already see that happening; sharing Ianto’s daily care is definitely bringing Tony and Steve closer to one another." While Bruce was glad to see Steve and Tony finally get together, at the same time he couldn't help but feel a little lonely. After he and Betty had gone their separate ways he had given up on ever finding love again._

_A gentle hand cupped his face and he found himself staring into a pair of kind eyes. "Do not despair, my dear, you will find love again soon."_

_"But who could ever love a monster?" Bruce asked._

_"You will be surprised my green friend; she is out there and when the time is right she will let you know," Idris promised as she leaned forward and brushed a kiss on Bruce's forehead. Pulling back she smiled brightly at him. "Now, it’s time for you to go back to sleep. You will not remember our meeting but you will find the urge to test Ianto's DNA against that of your teammates."_

_"Will I ever see you again?" Bruce didn't know why but he didn't want her to go. There was something about her, something he couldn’t put his finger on, that soothed the rage inside him._

_“It’s all right, my dear, this is not goodbye; we will meet again when the time is right. Now sleep and I promise you will have sweet peaceful dreams," Idris commanded tenderly as she brushed a second kiss across Bruce's forehead; the tingling sensation caused by a faint golden swirl remained there long after Idris had faded back into the time stream._

_True to her world, Bruce dreamt of fun-filled days and love-filled nights with a woman whose features he couldn’t quite make out but who brought him great happiness._

******

Upon awaking the next morning, Bruce realised two things; first, he’d enjoyed the best dreams he’d ever had, and second, he had the strangest feeling that he should be checking Ianto's DNA against those of all the team members, including himself but excluding Tony, for obvious reasons. It would take a while, at least five days and maybe even longer to compare so many samples, and Bruce knew that the only way to avoid the work on his suspicions being discovered was to stay sequestered in his lab until the results were in. He knew that it wouldn’t be unusual for him to disappear for days at a time; the others were well used to not seeing him for a week or more when he was working on something vitally important or extremely complicated.

"JARVIS,” Bruce looked up at his bedroom’s ceiling. “I need you to help me hide what I'll be doing down in my lab until the test results are back. _No one_ can know, JARVIS, especially not Tony. Got it?"

"Of course, Mr Banner, I shall do my best to keep Mr Stark from interfering with your activities." JARVIS was comfortable maintaining Bruce’s secrecy; he knew that the scientist wouldn't do anything that would harm Ianto or Tony.

"Thank you, JARVIS, if my research proves that I'm right we’re in for even more big changes." Bruce had an unshakable feeling deep in his bones that Ianto’s mysterious appearance and Tony’s unexpected fatherhood were only the beginning.

******

Agent Phil Coulson didn’t enjoy the designation of  SHIELD super-agent for nothing and once again, he sat hunched over the computer on the coffee table, studying the CCTV footage of Ianto’s arrival in Stark’s lab. No matter what filter he put the footage through or what angle he displayed, there was simply no way of adequately explaining how one little boy magically appeared out of thin air and in a location that was more secure than Fort Knox. Despite his wishes that it wasn’t so, there was one thought at the back of his mind that lingered persistently, demanding to be heard.

"It couldn't be… could it?" he mumbled under his breath; he knew of only one being who had the power to make a small child materialise out of nowhere. _'But what on Earth would the TARDIS be doing with Tony's son?'_ Coulson knew there was something very important that he missing, but for the love of him, he didn't know what it was. Why would the most powerful entity in the entire known universe trouble herself with the welfare of one human child?

Before he allowed his frustration to reach Titanic proportions, Coulson minimised the screen and focused his gaze on Tony. "You do know that I'm going to have to inform the director about this situation, Stark. In order for us to properly protect your son he will have be assigned a SHEILD handler."

The tightening of Tony's jaw and the flaring of his nostrils were answer enough. "I know, sir, but I still want him to have a perfectly normal childhood so I am respectfully requesting that you choose someone who will do everything in their power to ensure that their surveillance remains absolutely discrete." Tony didn't want his son to grow up having his every move watched, recorded, evaluated and discussed.

"That reminds me, kiddo, I'm going to have to find a nanny for you!" Tony murmured his voice filled with proud amusement – or was it amused pride? – as he watched Ianto crawl away from Clint. He didn’t even try to stop his snort of humour as he watched the grown man drop to his knees and start crawling across the floor after Ianto. As he happily chased the little boy around the living room Ianto’s shrieks of laughter and outbursts of babbling were interspersed with Clint’s cacophony of animal noises. Even Coulson had to struggle to keep a smile from his face as he watched the oh-so-fetching sight of a carefree child at play.

_'At least for the time being I have free baby-sitters, though I'm not sure how smart it is to have one child watching another, no matter how big he is.’_ Like any parent, Tony already knew that there was a chance that he might screw Ianto up he just didn't need Clint adding to that. _'Oh well, I’ll look into that later, for now I'm going to enjoy my time with my son.'_

******

Nick Fury had heard some crazy things in his life, especially since the Avengers had formed, but this was something totally unexpected. "You're telling me that Tony Stark has a son he didn’t know about who simply appeared out of nowhere?"

Coulson nodded his head. "That is correct, Sir."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "Do you think this is Loki’s doing, or looking at some new threat?"

Coulson shook his head. "I don't think we have anything to fear from him; he is a perfectly normal one-year-old human boy and I doubt very much that he's a pawn. No, Sir, I think a different power is at work here, one that means us no harm."

A sigh escaped Fury's lips. "You think your ‘friend’ is behind this, don't you?"

A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of Phil's mouth. "Indeed I do."

Rubbing his forehead Fury could feel a headache coming on. "Fine,” he rolled his eyes and bowed to the inevitable. “However, I’m making you responsible for keeping Barton from taking him on a tour of the air ducts."

"I shall try my best but you do know that once Agent Barton has an idea in his head it's nearly impossible to talk him out of it," Phil reminded his boss and friend.

"Trust me when I say that I know about Barton’s habits all too well, I’m just asking you to try your best." Fury always knew that when this mysterious little boy got older he was going to be as big of a pain in the ass as his father, he was certain of it.

******

For more than a week, Bruce locked himself away in his lab while his computers ran Ianto’s DNA against sample after sample from the SHIELD employee database. It had been so much quicker and easier when all he had to do was compare one single exemplar to another. Since he had disappeared before no one was really worried; after all he wasn’t prone to blowing things up. They knew he was still alive, they’d seen him surface just long enough to grab some food before vanishing again. Like Tony he had set up a small bedroom off to the side of his lab where he could catch some sleep and there was a bathroom with shower facilities and even a stacked washer/dryer unit so that anything soiled by whatever nasty stuff was in the lab never got mixed in with the household laundry.

When the results of Ianto's DNA test finally came off the printer, Bruce read them, read them again because he was sure he was hallucinating, and then he promptly re-ran the comparison four more times just to make absolutely sure that he wasn't seeing things and that his computer hadn’t gone off its rocker and decided to play a trick on him. When all four additional tests came back with the same answer he knew that it was no mistake.

After sitting and contemplating his upcoming actions for several minutes, Bruce squared his shoulders and stood up; he’d reached a decision. "JARVIS, where are Tony and Ianto right now?"

"Mr Stark and young Master Ianto are in the playroom," JARVIS answered back promptly. The day after Ianto’s arrival Tony had a converted an entire spare floor of his tower into a huge, fully equipped play area for Ianto. The space was designed to grow with Ianto, with plans already in place to put in a jungle gym for when Ianto was old enough to use one. Tony was even thinking about having a pool dug in the back yard so they could all enjoy BBQs and pool parties during the summer.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose Bruce transferred the data to his pad. "JARVIS, is Steve in the Tower?" Bruce wondered if he should break the news to Steve and Tony together or separately. _‘It doesn’t matter; this is still going to be one hell of a weird conversation.’_

"Mr Rogers is in the training room, would you like for me to send for him?" JARVIS asked.

Going with his gut, Bruce shook his head. "No, I'll talk to Tony first then I'll talk to Steve."

"As you wish, Sir."

Bruce took a deep breath; _‘Can’t put this off any longer,’_ and after verifying that his data had downloaded, he took his pad and headed towards the playroom. _‘_ _This_ _news_ _is truly going to bind Steve and Tony together_ _and for Ianto's sake,_ _I sincerely_ _hope_ _they_ _finally act on their feelings for one_ _another_ _.’_

******

"Hey, buddy, look who's finally shown himself." That was Tony's way of greeting the missing when he spotted Bruce standing in the doorway.

Ianto lifted his head and favoured Bruce with a hello smile then he waved grabby hands in the air, making the universal sign of 'pick me up now or I'll cry!' at his friend. Thrilled by Ianto’s welcome Bruce happily moved to take the little boy out of Tony's arms, thinking at the same time that it might also be a safer place considering the bombshell he was about to drop on the other man.

There was something strange about the way Bruce was behaving, about how he refused to meet Tony’s eyes. "I don't like that look on your face, you're about to tell me something that I'm not going to like, aren’t you." Tony narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Spill, Banner,” he commanded.

"I know who Ianto's other parent is," Bruce began slowly. He really wanted to blurt out the news, just because that’s how big the news was, but he didn’t know how Tony might take it.

Tony froze; he was about to find out who had inexplicably helped him create such a wonderful gift as Ianto. "Well, who is it?"

"Congratulations, Iron Man, you have been blessed to have a son with the one and only Captain America himself." Bruce had never seen anyone turn that particular shade of white so fast before. "Tony, are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

"No, I am not! How is this even possible? You’re a scientist, Bruce; even you know that two men can't make a baby! And you think I’d have noticed if I got Cap knocked up or he if knocked me up!" Tony was panicking, something he had _never_ done before, but he could feel an iron band tightening painfully around his chest, there was a trail of icy sweat trickling down his spine and his breath was coming in short raspy pants.

Now in full-on terror mode, Tony was flailing wildly, his eyes were wide and unfocused, darting madly around the room, his complexion going from white to red to green and back to white in rapid succession and he gave out short bursts of unintelligible noise whenever his gaze hit on Ianto. It was rather highly amusing to watch from where Bruce was standing and after gathering data for a moment, he decided that there was nothing to be done until Tony ran out of steam or simply hyperventilated and passed out. Choosing a seat close to the door, just in case a hasty retreat was required, Bruce sat down and looked at the boy in his arms. “Your father can be rather silly, can’t he?”

A tiny giggle of happiness escaped Ianto's lips as he stuffed a piece of Bruce's shirt into his mouth and watched as his dad did a very strange dance. His short little legs quickly began twitching and kicking in an awkward imitation of Tony’s frantic pacing and whenever Tony looked his way and let out some garbled version of speech, Ianto would babble joyfully back at him. Bruce had a sudden suspicion that they were actually communicating and he wished he could understand what they were saying.

"What's going on? Why is Tony acting like that? Are we under attack? Has he finally snapped his nut?"

Tony whirled around to see a very confused-looking Steve standing in the doorway and staring dumbfounded at his friend’s antics. "You!" Tony snarled viciously, marching straight up to Steve stopping only when a bare inch of space remained between them.

Seeing the wild – okay, the _insane_ – look in Tony's eyes Steve wisely took a step back and raised his hands in supplication and surrender. He chanced a quick look over Tony’s shoulder, taking in Bruce’s cheesy grin and Ianto’s clapping hands. "Um… did I miss something? Because I really feel like I’ve missed something here. Something big." 

"Oh you’re missing something all right!” Trying desperately to control his temper, Tony fought the urge to punch someone, _anyone_ , and settled instead for poking an angry finger into Steve’s chest. _“Something big,”_ he imitated, before shouting, “YOU BASTARD!”

Steve looked from Tony’s florid visage to Bruce’s smiling eyes and then to Ianto, who looked back at him with wonder and surprise in his eyes. Steve got the distinct impression that even Ianto knew what was going on at the moment. Looking back at Tony, Steve implored his friend, “Please, Tony, tell me what I’ve done to make you so mad? Give me a chance to fix it!”

“Fix it?” Tony was livid as he snorted derisively, “You can’t fix this, you fucking idiot!” He didn’t notice as Bruce winced at the forbidden vulgarity and quickly covered Ianto’s ears. “You are Ianto's other parent!” he snarled so angrily that flecks of spittle flew from his lips.

From his viewpoint several feet away, Bruce had to admit that Steve did a pretty good impression of a gaping fish; his eyes grew impossibly wide and his mouth opened and closed silently as he looked between Ianto and Tony and then back to Ianto again. Finally he found his voice but his words came out at a strangely very high pitch. "But that's not possible!” He looked at himself oddly, cleared his throat and tried speaking again. “Two men can't have… I mean, women make the… babies…” Steve trailed off uncertainly and then he tried one more time. With a firm shake of his head, he stated, “Men can’t have children... can they?" his eyes darted frantically to Bruce, looking for support, feeling more than a little unsure.

"Well, of course they can't, you idiot!" Tony snapped; his anger was beginning to fade, letting reason and logic prevail. "Plus, I think _one_ of us would have remembered giving birth to our son!"

Steve’s heart began making acrobatic leaps in his chest as he heard Tony call Ianto _their_ son, as though no matter how impossible it might be for two completely male men to produce a child, he’d already accepted it as fact. He had the sudden urge to hug Tony, although he knew he’d get punched right in the nose if he tried.

Looking between the two emotional men Bruce figured it was time to remove Ianto from such a volatile atmosphere and give the adults some privacy; their unexpected parenthood was clearly something they needed to talk about without an audience. Tickling Ianto’s tummy, he pulled the child’s attention from them to him. "How about we go find your Uncle Clint? I bet you haven't bonked him on the nose today, have you?" Bruce asked Ianto figuring he didn't need to be there when Tony and Steve talked things over.

Ianto merely stared at him; he seemed happy enough to just sit there, chewing on his shirt (he’d traded Bruce’s soggy shirt for his own a few minutes ago) and wait for his daddy to start doing his funny dance again.

Climbing to his fee, Bruce pushed his way through the door and then looked over Ianto’s head at Tony and Steve. "Come find us after you had your talk." With that Bruce and Ianto took their leave before either man could stop him.

For a long, tense moment Steve and Tony looked anywhere but at each other.

Steve broke the awkward silence by declaring "I'm not going to come between you and Ianto, Tony; you're his father first and foremost. Ianto absolutely adores you and I could _never_ get in the way of that."

_'This would be so much easier if he was being a jerk about this, but then again if he was, he wouldn't be Steve.'_ Tony sighed, there was no way he could stay mad at his friend, especially not when they shared something as precious as Ianto. "I don't plan on keeping Ianto away from you, Steve. Somehow, and I really don't understand how, we are both his father's and it wouldn't be right to rob him of the chance to have both of us in his life." Tony knew that no matter what ever transpired between the two of them, they would never do that to Ianto. The beautiful and grateful smile that graced Steve's face made Tony's heart beat so much faster and he knew he couldn’t blame it on his earlier agitation.

Steve licked his suddenly dry lips; after all it wasn't every day you learn you've become a father and stranger still, that you share that son with another _man_. "Look, we don't have to rush into anything at the moment. Let’s just take this one day at a time and be there for Ianto, and make sure he knows how much he’s loved. No matter what happens between you and me, he should always be our main focus."

Given that faery tales didn’t exist in the real world, Steve wasn't holding out any hope for Tony to return his feelings; the man had made his dislike of him known the moment they’d met.

Tony wasn't sure why he felt such a deep stab of disappointment when Steve made it clear they were only going to be parents to Ianto and nothing else. _'It's not like that's a surprise, after all he's made his opinion of me known since day one and having a son together isn't going to change anything.'_ Still he wasn't going to let his bitterness over Steve not being interest in him effect how they raised Ianto.

Setting aside his hurt feelings, Tony gave Steve a brief albeit sad smile. "So I guess you know by now that Clint's probably wrangled the story out of Bruce, which means it's time for us to face the music.” Tony shook his head ruefully; he could already hear the jokes the other man was going to start. “Clint is just going to love this."

"He won't be that bad, will he?" Steve asked in a slightly hopeful tone.

Tony just shook his head at him fighting the urge to pat him on his pretty blonde head and say 'aren't you just so adorable'. "Trust me, he'll be worse."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Arriving in the living room Tony's worst fears were indeed realised as the first thing they saw was Clint Barton, sprawled across the love seat and looking between Tony and Steve while a slow smirk made its way onto his face. Silence reigned supreme for a few seconds as he let the anticipation and dread build, and then he drawled out, "I just have one question, boys…”

Steve and Tony waited with baited breath, each knowing exactly what he was going to say.

“…which one of you is the mother?"

The menacing glare that Tony shot Clint could have turned the man to ash while promising him great pain if he didn't stop that line of thinking immediately, if not sooner. "If you don't want your most embarrassing stories leaked all over SHIELD headquarters, CNN and the internet, you will stop that line of thought and questioning right now!" Tony growled out in his warning.

Refusing to allow Tony to see that his threat had truly struck a note – he didn’t know exactly what the man had on him, but Clint was positive it was absolutely _not_ for public consumption – Clint lifted his hands up in surrender and started pouting like a child. "Fine! Why do you always take away all my fun," he whinged.

“Whatever made me thing Ianto was the only child around here?" Steve muttered under his breath as Tony and Clint had resorted to a war of silent glaring at one another. Turning away, he reached out and took his son – _‘My son!’_ his heart sang – from Bruce. "I really hope that you don't turn out to have your father's level of maturity."

Ianto just cooed and patted Steve’s shoulder comfortingly before kissing him on the cheek.

******

“Aww, so this is baby Stark-Rogers, he’s so cute!” Darcy squealed the instant she laid eyes on the child crawling along the floor under the watchful eyes of Tony, Steve and the rest of the Avengers. She had rushed from the airport to the Tower, anxious to meet the new addition that her email had been so full of. _'Man, that kid is going to have one rough life; no one wants to chance pissing off any of these guys, much less one of his fathers!”_ She watched as Steve jumped up and made grabby motions at Ianto as he scooted by, sending Ianto into gales of laughter. It was a truly endearing sight.

_“Luckily he'll have big sister Darcy to look after him, cos someone needs to make sure he has at least one person who has his back and who won't lose control when he starts dating.'_  Darcy grinned as Steve swept his son up into the air and flew him around in the air while the little boy waved his arms and legs and giggled himself silly; he was the epitome of childhood innocence and she prayed that it lasted for a very, very long time. _‘ Of course that_ _didn't mean_ _not_ _going to teach Ianto how to wield a_ _stun gun when he_ _gets older!'_

Concerned that his news was already known, Tony glanced at Darcy. "How do you know who he is?"

In response Darcy rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Clint sent me a very detailed email filling me on everything that I’ve missed plus Thor told Jane who told me."

Having heard her name mentioned, Jane looked up from her spot next to Thor in the doorway and shrugged her shoulders apologetically. "Sorry, she overheard my conversation Thor and she wouldn't let it go until I told her everything."

Ianto squirmed around every which way in Steve’s arms, trying to see who the new voice belonged to so Steve obligingly put him back on the floor, where he stood precariously, holding on to the leg of his father’s trousers. For a moment the little boy studied the newcomer before abruptly sitting down on his behind and holding out his arms. She felt nice, this newcomer, she felt safe and fun and he wanted her to hold him. Just as he left the ground, he grabbed hold of his ever-present stuffed rabbit, as his best friend, the plushie shared in all his experiences.

Delighted that Ianto had accepted her so quickly, Darcy didn't need to be asked twice as she swooped in and picked up the tiny Avenger, who just so happened to be wearing his Captain America t-shirt. "Hey, little guy, I'm Darcy and I'm going to be your way-too-cool big-sister figure and when you’re old enough to appreciate their brilliance, I plan on teaching you all my tricks.”

In response, Ianto smiled sweetly at her, lifted his bunny to show her and gabbled happily as he introduced her to his beloved friend. Tony and Clint were both horrified at what they were seeing; try as they might they just couldn't get Ianto to play with the stuffed Iron Man or Hawkeye toys or with the stuffed Thor bear. No, of all his plushies, Ianto chose his bunny to show Darcy first.

"Aww, isn't this cute, he has a Loki bunny." Darcy couldn't help but coo over the fluffy animal that Ianto so clearly adored. "Now I want one," she finished with a pout.

“How in the hell does that rabbit have the Loki costume again?” Steve hissed quietly to Tony. “I thought you threw it away!”

At a loss for an explanation, Tony merely shrugged his shoulders.

When silence fell immediately after her comment Darcy lifted her head away from Ianto and noticed all the looks of total disbelief being cast her way. "What?” she snorted. “He may have been a bad guy but he's adorable as a bunny!" she defended herself.

Bruce smiled fondly at the woman. "Then I'm sorry to tell you you're out of luck; it seems Ianto's stuffed Loki bunny is one of a kind. None of the toy stores have ever seen one before. In fact, we don’t even know where the outfit came from; the bunny was naked when he got here."

That bit of news caused Darcy's pout to grow. "That's just not fair, cos I really want one. Oh well, I'm sure this little guy has someone else I can play with." Turning on her heel she marched towards the pile of toys that always held pride of place on the living room floor and plopped herself and Ianto down in the middle of them all.

Standing side by side, watching their son introduce Darcy to all his toys and tell her their stories, Tony and Steve felt a closeness between them that they’d never experienced before and as they looked at one another, the feeling grew deeper. 

******

It quickly became clear that Darcy was Ianto's new favourite person. The two of them had spent the entire day together, doing everything from playing with the toys to watching TV to sharing their lunch, it was clear the two had already bonded.

Tony was a little jealous that he didn't get to spend much time with Ianto – there were always so many people around his son – but at the end of the day he was the only person that Ianto turned to when sleep began calling to him. His father was still the only one Ianto trusted enough to put him to bed, the hero he knew would always scare away the monsters. Cradling the small boy close to him, relishing the warmth of his little body, Tony carried his son upstairs to his crib which was still in Tony's room. They’d tried returning Ianto to his nursery, but Ianto's nightmares still came without warning, and Tony just couldn’t bear to hear his son crying out in fear.

Tucking Ianto’s bunny under his arm and snugging up his covers, Tony could hardly believe it that this tiny person was really and truly his. “You’ll have to bear with me for a while, little one; I’m a little out of my element. I didn’t have the greatest role model growing up so the only parenting skills know are from TV shows. Mike Brady and Ben Cartwright, now those guys knew how to raise children,” Tony grinned. "Just don’t expect brothers and sisters, though, cos you are definitely a one-time miracle!  But I promise you that I will be the best father I can be and I swear on my life that you’ll always know you’re loved,” Tony promised the sleeping child as he gently stroked back his hair.

Bending down to press a kiss upon his son’s forehead, Tony felt a sudden rush of tears at his next thought and he hastily blinked them away before saying, "I know that Steve is going to be a great dad too, in fact I promise; after all, he's Steve Rogers, the living legend himself. He can’t be anything but great."

Tired of standing in the doorway silently watching the touching moment between father and son, Steve walked up behind Tony just in time to hear the man’s last words, and he felt a small smile grace the corners of his face. Maybe he and Tony could figure out this parent thing together. While he truly doubted Tony would ever return his feelings Steve knew that they would both make sure Ianto grew up knowing full well how much he was loved by them both. "Don't sell yourself short, Tony, Ianto already loves you, you can see it when he looks at you," he kept his voice low so he didn’t startle Tony or wake Ianto.

Tony smile turned a little wistful, _'I just wish you would love me too,'_ he sighed. "And I love him as well. You know before I met Ianto I never saw myself as a father but now I can't image my life without him."

Smiling Steve closed the short distance between them and came to stand next to Tony at Ianto’s crib and stared down at the sleeping child who had captured his heart at first glance. "I know how you feel, my life feels so much brighter with him in it and I don't ever want to lose this feeling. I just want it to grow and grow and never leave."

No more was said between the two men as they stood side-by-side watching their son sleep and if they stood a little closer than they needed to, if their hands touched briefly as they adjusted a blanket or stroked a tiny cheek… well, neither man said anything.

******

Two weeks passed since they learned Ianto was the son of Tony and Steve, and the new fathers enjoyed two quiet weeks of family bonding, boisterous playtimes, home-cooked meals, splashy bath times and the shared telling of bedtime stories before the world needed saving yet again. With both Darcy and Jane away working on a new project there wasn't anyone available to stay at the Tower and look after Ianto.

While they knew they needed a nanny for Ianto, no one was quite prepared to give up looking after him just yet. Whenever someone suggested listing the qualities that Tony and Steve should be looking for in the nanny department – “No, Thor, I’m sorry, Mary Poppins is just make-believe. Ianto’s nanny won’t be flying about on her umbrella,” – both men became quite adept at casually changing the subject.

As a result of the men’s stubborn refusal to face reality, Natasha and Pepper had taken it upon themselves to start the nanny hunt by studying the personnel files of current and retired SHIELD employees hoping they might find someone already versed in emergency evacuation procedures, evasive driving skills, hand-to-hand combat and other such protection services. If they were a dab hand with nappy changing, well that was just icing on the cake.

Having exhausted all other avenues, the fathers had no other choice: "We have to take Ianto with us to the Helicarrier," Steve said in a resigned voice.

Tony scowled deeply. The Helicarrier wasn't always the safest place even for a super hero; Lord only knew what troubles a one-year-old could get into. "Fine, but if anything happens to our son, there won't be enough left of them to fill a bowl." Tony threatened the as-yet-unknown foe.

A dark look graced Steve's face. "And I'll help."

******

And that was how Steve Rogers came to be standing on the Helicarrier’s command bridge in full uniform with all eyes firmly fixed on the tiny human in his arms.

Although he was actually amused by the way Ianto was intensely scrutinising everything and everyone around him, Nick Fury just stared at the child in Steve’s arms. “Is there any particular reason why there is a child on my bridge?”

“Of course there is, Sir, we don’t have a baby-sitter and we’re not about to leave Ianto alone unattended.” Steve looked horrified at the very idea of leaving any child, let alone his son, alone.

Fury's eyebrows rose with disbelief and continued to climb until they would have disappeared into his hairline… if he had hair, that is. " _Your_ son? I was under the impression that he was Stark's son."

A smile that could only be described as intensely pure fatherly pride lit up Steve's face. "Bruce's tests came back and it turns out that I'm Ianto's other parent; we're not sure how something so unbelievable could have happened, but there is no doubt about it. Ianto is Tony's and my son. Five different DNA comparisons don’t lie."

Fury felt a vicious headache building behind his eyes; _‘I do not need this kind of hassle,'_  he thought, but as he looked around the bridge, he could see it in the eyes of the people who were supposed to do what he told them to, they would not be going anywhere until they were sure Ianto would be properly taken care of. "Hill!” he barked out, “You're on baby-sitting duty!"

Maria Hill, second-in-command of SHIELD, was not at all happy about being reassigned to such trivial work. After all, she was one of the toughest women in all of SHIELD but as a pair of intelligent blue eyes looked up at her from a face with the cutest button nose she'd ever seen attached to it, well even she could melt. Holding out her arms she gave Steve a small smile. "I'll take good care of your son, Captain, I promise you."

Tony, who’d been standing right at Steve’s elbow, shared a private look with his other half before Tony bent down so he could look Ianto in the eyes. "You be good for Auntie Maria and don't cause too much trouble, okay?" Ianto merely grinned and waved his bunny, as if to say, “I’m not the one making mischief, dad, it’s my bunny!” Tony gave his son a return grin that clearly said, “I’ll believe that when pigs fly!” before pressing a quick kiss on his forehead.

Steve pressed his own kiss to Ianto's forehead. "Your dad and I will be back as soon as we can, but until we are, please listen to Maria." With obvious reluctance he handed Ianto over to Maria.

Ianto yawned widely and to the surprise of everyone sank into Maria's hold looking very content to be there. Steve and Tony gaped at one another in surprise; Maria was the first outsider Ianto had encountered and they were both a bit jealous at how easily he’d accepted her.

"Come on, guys, the faster we save the world the faster we can get back to the little guy." Clint interrupted the fathers’ silent conversation as he spoke up from where he was checking over his bow.

From next to him Natasha sheathed her knives and gave a deadly smile. "He's got a point, let's go kick some butt."  
  
******

As he sat and waited for his team to return and debrief him, SHIELD’s commander maintained a watchful eye on the activities on his bridge. _'I think that perhaps having a child around is going to be a good thing.'_ Fury was slightly impressed with how quickly and cleanly the mission had gone down; it was clear that the Avengers wanted to get back to Ianto as soon as possible. Still, as he glanced at his two best agents, who appeared to be completely in awe of the small child, he knew that Ianto had no place on the bridge. "Hill, Coulson, make sure that they hire a nanny as soon as possible. The Helicarrier is no place for such a small child." _'Because heaven help us if anything happens to Ianto; I don't think we would survive their wrath.'_ Fury knew full well that if anything happened to Ianto, Maria and Phil would happily join in destroying those who hurt the newest and smallest member of the SHIELD family.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Not wanting to risk Ianto's safety any longer, the official Avenger hunt for a nanny began.

"Man, do I ever feel for your future boyfriends and/or girlfriends, kiddo; they’ll have one heck of battle on their hands to even think of dating you," Darcy muttered to Ianto as she watched the Avengers, along with Coulson and Maria Hill, grill all the possible nannies. So far they’d managed to make half of the applicants cry and the other half faint. No one stood out as even a last-minute, we’re-absolutely-desperate, one-time-only prospect.

An integral part of the interview process, Ianto knew he didn't want any of the nannies they paraded in front of him. He knew exactly who he wanted to play with all day and he just so happened to be in her arms at that very moment. After a brief consultation with his bunny, Ianto know it was time for him to take action.

And just like that, the decision of who to hire as Ianto's nanny was taken out of the hands of Tony, Steve and the others. Each time a new arrival approached him, Ianto would begin to howl at the sight of them, sending big fat tears rolling down his cheeks. He continued to cry at the top of his lungs as he was passed around from person to person, all of whom tried in vain to comfort the small boy, until finally it was Darcy’s turn. The moment he was placed in her arms it was like a switch was flipped and the tears and sobs magically stopped. As soon as she cradled him against her chest the room was filled with blessed silence as Ianto yawned and rested his head on her shoulder; tired out from all the crying all he wanted right now was a nap.

It was Clint who voiced what everyone was thinking. "He truly is your son, Tony, that big mouth is a dead giveaway."

Tony puffed up a bit and looked quite proud at that while the others rolled their eyes and sent a silent prayer that Ianto would take after Steve more.

Steve turned to the dozen or so nanny hopefuls and smiled apologetically before addressing the applicants. "Thank you all for coming but as you can see we do not require your services at this time." He knew that Ianto had made his choice and that choice was Darcy; there was no way Steve would deny his son anything, plus given how adept Darcy was with welding a stun gun she really was the best choice to protect their son.

******

As it does, time passed quickly; Darcy adjusted to her new role as caregiver and protector for Ianto and the Avenger’s adjusted to having a child be such a large part of their lives. It went without saying that no one was happy about the lack of progress being made between Steve and Tony; every day it was clear they were growing closer to one another but it was just as obvious that neither man was willing to make the next move. It was Ianto who finally set things into motion.

It was a regular day just like every other day around the Tower, and the team had all sat down for breakfast when a small voice declared:

"Da."

All activity came to a complete stop when as one they turned to face Ianto. Tony forgot all about his breakfast as he twisted in his seat to face Ianto who sat as always, in his high chair right between his dads. "Say that again," Tony demanded gently.

With a huge twinkle in his eye, Ianto stared at his father and slowly opened his mouth, and no one tried to hide the fact that they were all leaning in to hear Ianto's next word and of course he didn't disappoint.

"No."

In the process of sipping his juice at that very moment, Clint burst into laughter and sent a spray of cranberry liquid out his nose. "He really is your son!” the man choked out. “Of course that's gonna be his second word, after all Tony, you hear that word all the time," the archer pointed out with a smirk on his lips as he dabbed up juice with his napkin.

Tony glared daggers at Clint before flashing Ianto a pout on his face. “Come on, Ianto, say da again,” he begged his son. “Please?”

Sparkling blue eyes shone back up at him innocently as Ianto opened up his mouth and stated his new favourite word, “No.”

It wasn’t like Tony Stark pouted or anything, because he most certainly did not as his son refused to call him da again. Smiling indulgently, Steve wrapped his arms around his partner and pressed a kiss onto Tony’s temple. “Don’t rush him; Ianto will call you da again when he’s ready.”

“Dada.”

Both sets of eyes flew to Ianto who looked at his fathers with a serene smile on his face as he reached out and patted each man on the arm. Then, with his work done, he turned his attention back to his Cheerio’s having decided his tummy needed filling.

_‘_ _Ianto called me dada!’_ Steve’s throat closed up as intense emotions washed over him; they were unlike anything he’d ever felt before and he was torn between weeping over the sweetness of the moment or leaping about the room like a fool and cheering. _‘If this is what Tony felt I can certainly see why Tony wants to hear Ianto call him da again.’_

Not to be outdone, Darcy set aside her plate and pushed back her chair as she made her way around the table to Ianto. She might be the nanny all day long, but meal times were the exclusive domain of Tony and Steve and Ianto sat like a king on his throne between them. "Okay, my little guy, you got the whole parent thing out of the way, so how about you say Darcy, you know how much you love me."

Putting down his handful of cereal as though he were just humouring her, Ianto studied Darcy and his blue eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, "'arcy," he declared firmly and then he offered her a slightly soggy Cheerio.

Behind Darcy Tony pouted. "Oh come on, that's just not fair!" he whined piteously. “How come they both got two syllables and I only get one?”

Darcy grinned with naughty delight as she pressed a kiss onto Ianto's cheeks. "You're going to be a little chatterbox in no time, aren't you?"

Ianto merely grinned up at her before stuffing another handful of Cheerio’s into his mouth.

******

Later that day the Tower was unusually empty. Darcy and Ianto were off for their outing with Clint, and Coulson and Bruce had tagged along. Pepper and Natasha, who had finally admitted to and acted on their feelings for one another just the week before, were out to lunch while Thor and Jane were off somewhere private being sickeningly sweet together.

That just left Steve and Tony all alone, together.

"I can't believe he said his first words. Our little boy is already growing up so fast," Tony murmured as he watched and re-watched the video footage of Ianto speaking. "Soon he'll be walking and driving and getting into all kinds of trouble."

A smile tugged at Steve's mouth and his eyes sparkled as he too watched the replay of Ianto's first words. "He's truly our miracle, Tony,” and there was pure reverence in his voice; “thank you for letting me a part of his life."

Tearing his eyes off the screen Tony focused his gaze onto the man next to him. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Steve,” and his voice held a note of surprise that Steve would even think such a thing. “You're Ianto's father as well and you have exactly the same rights that I do."

A full-blown smile of pure joy appeared on Steve's face brought on not only by Tony’s words but by the open and welcoming look on his face, and emboldened, he decided to take a chance. "Since the others are all gone out doing their own thing, would you like to join me for lunch?"

Tony blinked rapidly, unsure if he’d heard things right. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Steve shifted nervously and the smile became a shy one full of hope. "It could be considered a date or we could just go out as two friends, it's up to you."

"No! A date,” Tony hastily and eagerly accepted. “I'd be happy to go on a date with you." His own shy smile graced his face and without realising it they both reached out at the same time to turn off the computer. Their hands touched and sparks flew up and down their arms; they jumped back in surprise and then laughed nervously albeit happily.

Both men knew that this could be the start of something amazing.

******

Having planned the team’s absence from the Tower precisely to give Tony and Steve time completely alone together, Thor, Jane, Pepper and Natasha all joined Ianto and the others at the park and when all their cell phones went off at the same time a smile appeared on everyone’s faces as they read the message JARVIS sent them:

_They have gone on a date._

Natasha crowed triumphantly and said all what they were thinking. "It's about damn time!"

Clint grinned down at Ianto who was fascinated by the baby ducks paddling around the pond and he shook his head in wonder. "And to think all it took was for him to start talking; you really are our little miracle worker, aren’t you?" Ianto didn’t look up at him, but he did gurgle happily.

Darcy grinned as she shifted closer to Bruce; everyone could see that she was interested in the man and she was making no efforts to hide it. It was also clear that Bruce, in typical male fashion, had no idea how to act around her. She indicated Ianto with a wave of one hand while the other rested lightly on Bruce’s arm. "Well, all I can say is it's a good thing no one knows about our little secret here, because if he can get Tony and Steve to act on their feelings who knows what else Ianto can do."

******

Sadly, as they were about to learn, Ianto's existence wasn't as well held a secret as they had all thought. There was someone out there who wanted the only son of the formidable Iron Man and the living legend himself Captain America, and they would do everything in their power to get their claws into him.

"Is it true?" A man dressed in a fine, well-fitted suit asked cautiously, keeping his back to those who worked for him.

"Yes, Sir. It wasn't easy but we finally managed to get our hands on the data and the child known as Ianto Stark-Rogers is indeed the biological son of both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers." The man stated his findings quite nervously, he knew how dangerous his employer was when he didn't get the precisely the information he wanted.

A dark smirk tugged at the other man's lips. "Good, bring him to me," he ordered and if the setting had been a cartoon, he would have rubbed his hands together with maniacal glee and given an evil cackle of triumph.

"Yes, Sir." The man was grateful to be allowed to leave and he beat a hasty retreat never once looking back; only when he was completely outside the building did he finally fully exhale.

Once the door shut behind him a wicked laugh did finally escape the man's lips. "Oh you clever, clever girl, disguising the carrier of the Rift as the child of Iron Man and Captain America. I must say that’s quite imaginative! These A.I.M. fools have absolutely no idea just how special this piece of biological meddling really is aside from the fact he carries a pure sample of Steve Rogers’ DNA. But _we_ know he's different and that’s the only thing that matters, well that and the fact that the freak has no clue his beloved Ianto is still alive. Oh, this is just too good to be true. It's finally time to have a little fun." And slowly against the glass his fingers began to drum out a familiar beat.

One. Two. Three. Four.

One. Two. Three. Four.

One. Two. Three. Four.

******

Even a deaf, dumb and blind man could have figured out that Tony and Steve's relationship had undergone a dramatic change in the weeks that passed since their first date. They had grown so much closer and could often be found in quiet discussion together, talks that often stopped whenever anyone else happened by. The one time anyone asked what they were talking about, they both replied, “Ianto,” but then they hurried off together, presumably to continue their conversation. Although they thought they were keeping their relationship a closely guarded secret but there was still one who knew.

As for fatherhood, both Tony and Scott had taken on their responsibilities thoroughly and with great pleasure. Each night after dinner, the two fathers sat down with their son and shared the pleasure of playing, colouring, or putting puzzles together with him. When it was time to go upstairs to bed, they shared the task of bathing Ianto and putting him into his pyjamas, and then the little family would curl up in Tony’s bed while the men took turns reading Ianto’s bedtime stories. Both parents knew that such lovely times wouldn’t last forever, Ianto would grow up and not need them as much, so they carefully committed every moment they spent with him to memory, something to look back on when Ianto was spending quiet times with his own children.

As their personal relationship progressed, Steve and Tony were grateful that Ianto had so many devoted aunts and uncles who often fought over whose turn it was to play with their favourite nephew. This unrivalled devotion to their son allowed them to steal a moment or two – sometimes, if they were really lucky, even three – alone and right now Ianto was off somewhere with Clint. Normally that fact would have really worried Tony, but right now he had a Captain to kiss and kiss thoroughly.

Just before oxygen became an issue, a soft giggle broke up what had been a very intense kiss; the two men jumped apart and turned to see Clint and Ianto standing in the doorway.

Ianto looked between his fathers and happily stated, "Dada and Da mwah!" and he put his little hands to his lips and then threw them apart, blowing his dads a kiss. “MWAH!”

Grinning madly at the distinct blush that appeared on Steve and Tony's cheeks, and wasn't that just a sight, _'I need to get a copy of this before Tony has JARVIS destroy all copies of him blushing like a school boy,'_ Clint made a mental note and then lifted Ianto higher so he sat better on his hip. The mischievous young man looked so pleased with himself for figuring out what his dads had been up to.

“Did you put him up to that?” Steve demanded as he tried to hide his embarrassment; he didn’t mind so much being caught kissing in the halls like a schoolboy by Clint, but to have his own son catch him! Steve didn’t know who was going to need therapy, him or Ianto!

“I most certainly did not!” Clint was outraged. "Ianto did that all by himself! Isn’t that right, little dude, Dada and Da do go mwah a lot, don't they? And they think we don't know." Clint shook his head as he tickled Ianto’s tummy and grinned at the two men. "You guys are the worst kept secret in the tower!"

Ianto giggled with laughter until Clint stopped tickling him and then he happily began to babble and wave his hands at them, no doubt telling them just how he discovered their little secret, which earned an indulgent smile from his fathers.

Little did they know how drastically their worlds were going to change the very next day.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

They had patiently bided their time, waiting until the next crisis occurred that was big enough to would call all the Avengers away, leaving Darcy Lewis as Ianto's only guard. Knowing how much Ianto would begin to miss his fathers after a while, she did her best to keep him occupied; they played outside for a short while and then went back inside for some applesauce and graham crackers. Hide and seek behind the living room furniture came next – it was so easy to find Ianto because he’d come rushing out as fast as he could crawl the moment she loudly said, “I wonder where that little boy went?” and then he’d gabble at his bunny when she’d pretend not to see him.

Lunch went off without a hitch; Darcy made his favourite finger food – hotdogs and bananas cut into rounds with milk to wash it all down. While Ianto was eating, Darcy put a large chicken in the crockpot for dinner; she had no idea when the team would return home, but even if it was late, they could still have sandwiches from the bird. They cleaned up, meaning Darcy did the dishes while Ianto and his plushie bunny supervised; at one point Darcy took a good look at the rabbit and decided that the first chance she got, the thing was going in the laundry. He was definitely beginning to look bedraggled.

Filling Ianto’s sippy cup half-full with chocolate milk, a special treat since both his dads had him on a healthy eating regime, the who adjourned to the living room, where Ianto picked out the story book he wanted to hear. They were just settling in when the power began flickering and Darcy immediately knew something was wrong; the Tower was on a secure power grid, with back-up generators that had their own back-up generators. A power failure at the Tower was virtually impossible.

"JARVIS?" When no answer came Darcy’s worry meter ramped up to severe; like the electricity, JARVIS’ power was self-contained and impossible to turn off. Quietly gathering up Ianto she began making her way towards Tony's lab; it was the most secure place in the entire tower and easily defendable. Plus, it had a big red panic button that would summon SHIELD and the Avengers in a heartbeat.

Making sure her trusty Taser was handy she slowly crept through the halls keeping to the shadows, she liked having the home advantage; she knew the tower and whoever they were, they didn't. Ianto seemed to instinctively know that something was wrong and he stayed completely quite snuggling deeper against Darcy as they slowly made their way to the lab. They were almost there when Darcy rounded a corner at the same time as one of the invaders; she was quicker on the draw and dropped the man like a rock.

"Invade my home? I don't think so!" Darcy snarled under her breath as she took great joy in stunning the strange man with her Taser.

“When you get older I’m going to teach you how to wield a mean Taser,” Darcy promised the young child that she held in her arms; she looked into his eyes, marvelling at how calm he was, and then down at the twitching man at her feet. Keeping her voice low, she murmured, “Seriously, you really thought I wasn’t armed? I once Tased the God of Thunder for Pete’s sake, and did you really think Tony Stark, Steve Rogers or anyone from the Avengers would let Ianto go with someone who didn’t know how to wield a weapon?"

Catching sight of the insignia on his coat sleeve, she growled deep down in her throat. "A.I.M.! I should have known it was you bastards." They had been becoming a pain lately, but as she was standing over her fallen foe she didn't realise until it was a second too late that she was no longer alone.

Sudden, agonising pain flared through her body making her limbs go stiff and her muscles tighten. "Seriously, a Taser! That's just not fair," Darcy managed to get out between clenched teeth as she fell to the floor trying desperately but uselessly to keep Ianto safe.

The A.I.M. soldiers stood above Darcy's crumpled form and sneered in triumph. "She wasn't that tough after all. Do you know I’ve heard she stunned the God of Thunder?"

“Yeah, right,” another said derisively. “Musta been a stuffed toy she zapped!” His caustic comment brought a round of laughter to his teammates.

One of the soldiers aimed a vicious kick to Darcy’s midsection, which rolled her off of their quarry and revealed a fearful Ianto clinging tightly to her shirt as he looked up at them.

"You're quite the prize, little guy." One of the soldiers bent down and roughly picked up Ianto who began screaming and crying, his little hands and feet beating at his captor.

"Shut up, you stupid little brat." One of the soldiers injected a sedative into Ianto’s hip and the little boy went limp so fast that the man nearly dropped him. "Let's get out of here before the Avengers get back."

******

"S.. und… att… k…"

Tony froze in horror as JARVIS' badly garbled words came over the comm line. "We have to get back to the tower now, it's under attack!" he bellowed to the others.

Steve stared at his partner with a terrified look in his eyes. "Ianto!" The single word came out as a gasped whisper.

Tony wasted no time in grabbing Steve around the waist. "We'll meet you all back at the tower!" he shouted to the others as they took off into the air.

As they dashed to their vehicles, Natasha and Clint shared a look that clearly said someone was going to pay dearly if even one hair on Ianto or Darcy's head was touched.

******

JARVIS was angry, no, he was beyond that, he was absolutely livid! Not only had he been hacked but they had taken his youngest charge and damaged one of his humans. Having cleared up his static problem, he contacted Tony mid-flight. "Sir, I am ashamed to report that A.I.M. somehow managed to breech my security systems. They have taken Ianto, but we managed to capture one of the intruders." Apparently A.I.M. wasn't that loyal to one another and they’d foolishly left one of their own behind. Of course it could be that JARVIS had started regaining control of himself and the facility and they’d had to leave the man behind in order to escape with their prize. They weren’t getting paid to save each other, just to bring back a fifteen-month-old child.

"We’re on our way, JARVIS, make our guest comfy," Tony growled as he tightened his arms around Steve and put on a burst of speed.

"It will be my pleasure, Sir."

******

Bruce was engulfed by a wave of crimson rage when he got back to the tower and found Darcy lying unconscious on one of the beds in the medical lab. Mindful of the sensors attached to her he gently took her hand in his and stroked her hair back from her face. "Is she going to be okay?" There was a note of pure worry in his voice.

"Yes, Mr Banner, she has been Tasered," JARVIS reassured Bruce. “There will be no lasting effects once she wakes up.

Feeling somewhat better – JARVIS had an extensive bank of medical data, with access to additional information outside his memory core, as well as the medical records of all of the Avengers – Bruce used a foot to hook a rolling stool over to Darcy’s bedside; he didn’t her waking up alone if he could help it.

While Tony was happy to hear that Darcy was going to be okay he couldn't breathe, there was a band of iron around his chest and it tightened even more with every breath. His son had been taken. His precious Ianto was in the hands of monsters. _‘He’s only fifteen months old! He can’t defend himself, he can’t even talk yet!’_ That cued up the memory of Ianto saying Da and Dada for the very first time and Tony ground his teeth with impotent frustration.

Next to him Steve stood silently, as tense as a coiled spring, trying to process the fact that his son was missing and at the moment he had absolutely no idea what to do about it. In unison the fathers glared menacingly at the A.I.M. agent who was slowly waking up.

"Let me deal with him," Natasha growled as she used the razor-sharp point of her knife to play with the man’s left ear.

On any given day, Tony Stark was a happy man, satisfied with his lot in life and blessed by the gift of an heir to the throne, so to speak. Today however, it was a different story; today he was feeling downright murderous, his fingers itching to wrap themselves around the prisoner’s neck and squeeze until the man spilled everything he knew about the abduction and location of Ianto Stark-Rogers. Given the way that Steve’s jaw was clenching the Super Soldier was feeling the same way.

There was an ugly truth hanging over Stark Tower: Someone had taken their son; therefore, someone was going to suffer a long and horrible death.

"Go ahead, Natasha," Steve growled under his breath at the same time Tony motioned at the bound man and said,

“Be my guest.”

It should have been frightening the way Natasha was using her knives to install abject terror in their suspect – it should have been, but it wasn’t – and Tony was rather enjoying seeing him shake with fear and struggle against his bonds. She was a consummate professional at playing with the limits of a man’s ability to endure pain without ever shedding a drop of their blood, and she was putting that skill to good use now.

Steve knew that if he were a better man he would be ashamed of the deadly thoughts going through his mind but all he wanted was to destroy the enemy, who was wide awake and staring at Natasha with increasing horror; he didn’t know whether to try and get away from her or to lie perfectly still so she didn’t hurt him anymore.

Tony stepped closer and put an arm on Natasha’s arm, stilling her hand for the moment. Looking down at his captive he leaned a little closer, as though he were about to confide something important; “See, while I don't kill, the same can't be said for her.” He smiled but it was really nothing more than a baring of his teeth. “I'm sure you've heard of the Black Widow?” He waited while the man looked at Natasha and when the realisation that he was truly a dead man sank in, Tony continued, “Well, then you know that she's more than willing to kick your sorry arse." Tony put his mouth mere inches from the man’s ear and whispered, “And you know what? I’m going to let her.”

"No! Wait, please! It's my fault."

Everyone stopped the instant they heard that pronouncement and turned to see Darcy standing behind them. She was pale and shaking, with tears rolling down her cheeks and she leaned heavily against Bruce who had an arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman wiped a hand across her face and repeated, "It’s my fault, Tony. I was in charge of looking after Ianto; I should have done a better job." Darcy looked at Tony and Steve with pleading eyes. "I'm so sorry; please believe me when I say I never wanted something like this to happen." She sagged against Bruce and he tightened his grip on her, how holding nearly all her weight. It was clear to them all that Darcy should never have gotten out of her bed and that she needed to return there immediately.

Something inside of Tony clenched at the sight of Darcy's tears and he abandoned his prisoner, quickly closing the distance between them and resting his hands gently on her shoulders. He could feel her body shaking like a leaf and his heart went out to the brave woman. "You listen to me, Darcy Lewis, it is _not_ your fault. A.I.M. is a dangerous organisation, with an insane leader and they don’t normally leave anyone alive. We’re damn lucky that you were only knocked out. We’ve seen the CCTV footage; we’ve seen how hard you fought to keep Ianto safe! We owe you more than you could ever know you risked your life for our son. He tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Now let Bruce take you back to medical before you collapse,” he could see that she was about to object, so he played his trump card. “Ianto’s going to need you more than ever when we bring him home.”

Hearing Tony speak Ianto’s name brought forth a fresh burst of tears so she didn’t see him nod at Bruce. All she was aware of was abruptly being scooped up in his arms and cradled against his broad chest and then there was nothing. For the first time in her life, Darcy Lewis had fainted.

Clint hopped down from his spot and made shooing motions with his hands. "I think we should give Nat the room, she always works better without an audience."

"What? NO!” The A.I.M. soldier yelled in fear and began fighting against his bonds. “Wait, you can't leave me with her!"  He’d heard all about the Black Widow, her exploits were the stuff of legend, and he knew that there was a very good chance he wouldn't be walking out of this mission alive.

It was Steve who reacted first when he took a step forward, a dangerous look sparking from his eyes. "Oh, I think you'll find we can do exactly that. You kidnapped my son, remember? We want to know why and she’s going to find out… unless you’d like to tell us now?"

"Answer him, mortal!" Thor roared and his angry power made thunder crack and lightning flash outside.

The man was no fool; if he didn't give them answers they wanted the Black Widow would kill him for sure. "Your son is the only one besides you who holds the answers to recreating the super soldier formula."

Steve paled and barely stopped his knees from buckling beneath him in fear. "What do you plan on doing to my son?"

The solider made the extraordinarily bad choice of grinning sarcastically as he said, "What do you think we’re gonna do?” and the sneer in his voice put everyone’s teeth on edge. “We’re gonna extract the DNA right from the source."

Untamed fury coursed through Tony's body. "Find out where they have Ianto, do whatever it takes," he ordered Natasha as he spun on his heel and led the others from the room.

"With pleasure," Natasha purred and licked her lips with anticipation as she moved closer to the man. The last sound they heard as the door closed behind them was a shrill scream of pure pain.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The TARDIS was extremely unhappy; someone had taken her precious Ianto and planned on hurting him. She could not, _would_ not allow that to happen. _'It's a good thing Jack's already with us.'_ The TARDIS didn't want to waste time hunting down the often elusive immortal, not when Ianto was in danger.

The Doctor, who had realised the mistakes his last regeneration had made when it came to Jack, had vowed to make it up to him. He’d invited the immortal to travel with him for as long as he wanted; he knew it was a half-assed apology for tossing Alonso at him in that seedy bar, but it was a start. Once again the Time Lord mentally kicked himself for not recognising how absolutely devastating the death of his soul mate, Ianto Jones, had been to Jack. 

"Whoa! Doc, what's happening?" Jack wore an excited grin as he hung on for dear life as the TARDIS rocked from side to side.

"I'm not sure but something has gotten her worked up." The Doctor couldn't remember the last time his ship had ever acted like this.

"Well wherever she's taking us she's wants to get us there in a hurry," Jack commented and he tightened his grip on the strut as the TARDIS gave an unexpectedly vicious lurch sideways.

As she navigated her way through the violent eddies and whirlpools of the Void, the TARDIS wished she could have had a chance to prepare Jack for the fact that his beloved Welshman was now a child. _'I hope you will forgive me for not telling you sooner, Jack, but Ianto's safety is more important. I just hope he is there.'_

******

Ianto awoke lying in a small cage on the floor of a dark room and immediately cried out for his fathers. He was cold, hungry and so terribly alone; he wanted Darcy, he wanted his bunny, but most of all, he wanted his Da and his Dada. He cried out again, this time louder, and the door to his room suddenly swung open.

“Da?” he whimpered; when he saw that a stranger stood in the doorway, he started crying in earnest, great gulping sobs of fear that echoed eerily in the empty room.

“Shut up, kid,” the man kicked the side of Ianto’s cage, “or I’ll give you something to cry about!”

With a shriek of terror, Ianto scrambled as far away from the man as he could get and as the door slammed shut, cutting off the shaft of light from the hall, Ianto curled himself into a tiny ball of misery and wept softly, waiting for his fathers to come and save him.

******

Loki hated hearing the constant whimpers of despair that fell from Ianto’s lips as his tiny body trembled with fear. The God of Mischief was invisible to all those but the child as he wrapped himself around Ianto’s small frame. The little boy gratefully curled into his chest for warmth and safety, and his eased a little. “Do not worry, little one, your fathers and the rest of the Avengers are on their way to help you, and as a special surprise, there’s someone else coming that I think you will really like seeing again.”

Teary-eyed Ianto looked up at Loki and held up his hand. "Ouchies," he wept softly. During his short life, Ianto had known nothing but love and tenderness; the rough handling, profanity and loud voices were so far from the life he was used to. Shortly after he’d woken up, the soldiers had come, pulled him out of his cage and hauled him off to a room that was much too brightly lit, where everything was white and scary, and where no one was nice to him at all.

One man had stripped Ianto of his clothes, throwing them to the floor and kicking them out of the way, and then he’d sat Ianto on a cold hard metal table, laughing when Ianto had cried out. Another man had been particularly mean to Ianto, poking and prodding him roughly, measuring and weighing him, sticking needles into him – when he was stabbed with a frighteningly large needle for the first time, Ianto had cried out in pain and surprise and the man had casually slapped him across the face, telling him to grow up. Even now, hours later, there was a large red handprint clearly visible on Ianto’s pale swollen skin.

The mean man, a scientist with a reputation for ‘losing’ his test subjects, had stuck patches all over his body, on his arms, legs and torso and zapped him with electrical impulses and when Ianto screamed in pure agony, the man had cruelly laughed at him and continued with his testing with increasingly powerful charges. At one point, Ianto had mercifully passed out from the pain, only to awaken later to find he’d been stuffed into a new machine that was slowly sucking all the air from his lungs over and over again. It had been a terrifying experience.

Hours later the soldier had thrown Ianto back into his cage where he’d huddled miserably in the corner. He was exhausted, starving, and shaking violently from the cold; when the first man had redressed him, he’d left off Ianto’s sweater, shoes and socks. As Ianto welcomed Loki’s presence, he felt a little bit better; at last he had someone familiar, even if only slightly, but it helped ease the fierce loneliness. He wasn’t used to being so very alone and he didn’t know what to do. All he wanted was for his fathers to arrive and take him home.

Hate for Ianto’s captors flared like wildfire in Loki's eyes; he wanted to get Ianto out of his cage but his body was still physically trapped in the Asgard prison. "When I arrive I will kill you all," Loki vowed darkly, sending his thoughts across the universe to the men evil enough to harm his Ianto. He could feel the TARDIS at the back of his mind, urging him to hold on; his ride was nearly there. "Hang on a little longer, my dear boy, we will soon be there."

“Dada,” the soft trembling whimper escaped Ianto's lips; he’d never been so frightened in all his life and he didn't want to be alone with the men who kept hurting him any longer. It tore at Loki's heart to hear such a heart-wrenching sound coming from someone he loved. "I promise I'm coming, small one, as is your Jack and we will get you out of here." He tightened his arms around Ianto and pressed a kiss to his hair, relishing the way Ianto cuddled closer to him.

******

Fury only had to take one look at the barely contained rage burning in Coulson's eyes to know the answer to the question that he hadn't even asked yet. "I take it the Black Widow is interrogating your suspect."

"Indeed, sir." Coulson confirmed in a smooth tone.

"Good.” The Director nodded briefly. “I would offer SHIELD's support but I don't think it's going to be needed. Bring our tiny Avenger home." Fury wouldn't admit it but despite his efforts to the contrary, the young child had grown on him.

"We will, Sir." Coulson knew that this was the most important mission the Avengers were ever going to undertake just as he knew that there was absolutely no way they were going to fail.

******

The Doctor and Jack shared a confused look as the TARDIS appeared around a young man who looked far more dangerous than he let on. The Time Lord was the first to react, while Jack hung back, ready to leap into action at the first sign of trouble.

Stepping forward, he thrust out his hand in greeting. "Hello, I'm the Doctor and who are you?"

One eyebrow raised, Loki stared at the man, completely unimpressed by him, while his prison uniform disappeared to be replaced by his usual outfit. "I am Loki, the God of Mischief and I know all about you, Time Lord, and the Immortal,” he cast a quick glance in Jack’s direction, “but now is not the time. A friend is in grave danger." Loki's eyes drifted upwards and a dark, dangerous look turned them almost totally back. "They are torturing him."

That was all the TARDIS needed to hear and without warning she leapt into action, knocking the Doctor and Jack off their feet, although Loki somehow managed to keep his balance but he did laugh as he watched Jack and the Doctor untangle themselves and regain their footing. His amusement was brief, however, with his eyes burning with rage he sent out a message across the universe. _'Hang on, Ianto, we are coming.'_

******

Ianto’s reprieve from the cruel testing regime only last a short time before two soldiers returned to his little room and stared down at the whimpering child. "Man, doesn't this kid ever shut up? It wasn't that bad and you’re not really hurt, not yet at least," one of them snarled as he yanked Ianto out of his cage with one hand while rubbing the back of his neck with the other; he could feel a headache forming at the kid's constant cries. "Shut up!" he ordered, lifting his hand to strike the child.

“You’re not going to touch him,” a dangerous voice snarled from behind the A.I.M. agent and that was the last thing he or his companion ever heard as his world turned black and a gargled sound escaped his lips. Their limp bodies dropped like rocks to the floor, landing with a thud.

Former Time Agent John Hart was a lot of things but there were some boundaries even he wouldn't cross and harming a child was pretty much at the top of his list, so when he’d been contacted by a real TARDIS of all things and told that there was a little boy being tortured and experimented on, he’d responded instantly. “Certainly couldn’t hurt the old karma now, right?” he’d asked hypothetically.

"People like you make me sick," John stated matter-of-factly as he cleaned his knife and sheathed before stepping over the dead soldiers’ bodies, frowning with distaste as he noticed he’d stepped in blood. “Great,” he growled, “just great.”

Turning his attention to Ianto, John felt his stomach lurch violently and he had to swallow convulsively to stop his urge to vomit. In addition to the handprint on his face – the blow had blackened the skin beneath one sad blue eye – there were multiple bruises on his arms and legs, and without even looking John knew his torso and legs would be badly bruised as well. Knowing he didn’t want to see, John gently lifted Ianto’s shirt up and saw multiple burn marks on his back and chest, as well as several places where scabs were forming over flesh that had been sliced away.

John carefully replaced this shirt and then noticed that on Ianto’s head, a patch of hair the size of a dime was missing where it had been removed by the root. There were circular marks around Ianto’s wrists and ankles where he’d struggled against the shackles that had tied him down to the examination table, rubbing his skin away and making his flesh raw. It took all of John’s will-power not to vomit as he thought about the torture this tiny creature had endured at the hands of a sadistic madman.

"No one deserves this, especially not a child,” John declared fiercely. “Don't you worry, Eye-Candy, I'm going to get you out of here," John Hart vowed as he reached out slowly so he didn’t scare him even more, gently lifted the terrified child into his arms and held him tenderly against his chest. “It’s all right now, sweetheart, Uncle John’s here and you’re safe,” he murmured comfortingly as they left the room. “I’m gonna take you to see your daddies, okay?”

Ianto perked up a little at the word ‘daddies’; “Da?” he asked quietly. He raised his head a little and looked around. “Dada?”

John swallowed past a lump in his throat; he’d always had a thing for Ianto Jones, but this was entirely different. Gone was the self-assured, almost cocky young Welshman who’d defended Jack so fiercely, and in his place was a sweet, innocent child who just wanted to go home. In a totally uncharacteristic move, John buried his face in Ianto’s hair and kissed the top of his head. “Yeah, kid, dada,” he whispered.

Ianto didn't know why but he trusted the new man implicitly and he clung as tightly as he could to his unknown saviour who saved him from being hurt again.

*******

It hadn't taken long for Natasha and her knives to get the info the Avengers needed to mount their rescue mission, and Maria had volunteered to fly the jet personally. She was under direct orders from Nick Fury to bring Ianto back no matter what.

Agent Phil Coulson’s job was to handle the Avengers and keep them from rushing off into danger without a plan, and it was a job he did very well. This time was different however; this time he was fully prepared to completely let them off the leash and then go find something else to do for a while. "Bring him home," was the only thing he said to Clint as his lover kissed him for luck.

"We will,” he promised and then a dangerous grin danced across Clint's face. “Heaven help anyone who stands in our way."

Coulson and Maria shared a telling look; there wasn't going to be anything left by the time the Avengers got through with them and the two season warriors simply they couldn't find it within themselves to care.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The Doctor and Jack had no idea why the TARDIS had brought them to wherever they’d landed, but Loki seemed to know his way around and from the tension in his shoulders he wasn't happy. About to round a corner, Jack halted abruptly as a familiar form went rushing past them.

"John?” he asked in disbelief, “what are you doing here?"

John whirled around his gun coming up instinctively to rest against Jack's forehead, his finger twitching on the trigger but before either man could say or do anything a tiny voice spoke up.

“‘ack?"

Suddenly realising that John wasn’t alone, Jack looked away from John’s deadly gaze to the child in his arms and he swallowed hard, his breath catching in his throat. Despite the fact that he was looking at a young boy no older than two he knew those blue eyes anywhere, "Ianto?" he asked incredulously, almost afraid of the answer.

“’ack!” the child repeated demandingly, holding up his arms for a hug and making grabby hands impatiently. A molten rage unmatched by anything he’d ever experience before filled Jack’s body and soul as he took in the bruises that littered the tiny arms as well as the swollen cheek and black eye. Someone had hurt his Ianto! Someone was going to die and nobody – not even the Doctor – was going to be able to stop him.

“Come here,” Jack very carefully scooped Ianto up into his arms and cuddled him close to his chest, his heart so overwhelmed by the fact that he was holding his beloved Ianto in his arms again that he never once question the ‘how’ of the situation. He buried his face in Ianto’s hair and whispered, “I love you, Jones, Ianto Jones,” so quietly that only the presence of the TARDIS in his soul knew what he’d said. "I've got you, Ianto, and this time I'm never letting you go," he vowed. Nothing was going to separate him from his Ianto again, not when he'd been granted a second chance with his Welshman.

The toddler’s face lit up in a happy toothsome grin, “‘ack!” as he reached out and patted the cheeks of the man who was holding him before snuggling deeper into his hold. He’d never felt so at home in his life as he did at that very moment; it was as though he’d been missing something vital and now he was finally whole again.

The Doctor’s face could have been carved out of stone as he saw the bruises on the small child that Jack cuddled close. To hurt a child was purely unforgivable in the Time Lord’s mind. _‘A child is a precious gift and these apes, no, that’s an insult to apes, these vile creatures dared to harm someone so innocent and untouched. Well I promise it will be the last thing they ever do; I’ll see to that.’_

Drawing a deep breath, the Time Lord managed to put a comforting smile on his face as he reached out and gently stroked Ianto’s unbruised cheek. "Come along, Jack, we’re leaving. The sooner we get our young friend into the TARDIS’ sick bay the sooner he’ll feel better."

Jack involuntarily shivered as he heard the darkness seeping into the Doctor's tone; it was clear that he was slipping into his Oncoming Storm persona. Looking down at the exhausted child lying in his arms, Jack didn't have an ounce of pity for those who dared to lay a finger on his Ianto.

Jack turned his gaze onto John with deadly rage burning in his eyes. "What did you do?"

John’s eyes widened to comical proportions and looked truly horrified. "Jack! How could you!? You really think I could do something like this to a child? I know I haven't always been the nicest guy in the Universe, but when have I ever harmed a child?" the other Time Agent demanded indignantly. “I thought you knew me better than that!”

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really am.” Jack had the good graces to look ashamed of himself and his accusations. John was right; he would never hurt anyone incapable to defending themselves. He looked at John, the Doctor, and finally at Ianto, his precious supposed-to-be- _dead_ Ianto. “But I just don't understand; how is this possible? I lost Ianto."

"Bloody hell, Jack, you really don't know? Where the hell have you been, man? Your Ianto Jones is really Ianto Stark-Rogers, the only son of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. He's a legend! I knew Eye-Candy looked familiar back in Cardiff but I never had time to figure it out; you were always kicking me back into the Rift. I finally found some peace and quiet on Tanta Lagos, so I did some research and it wasn't hard to track his timeline to find out who he was," John explained. He was simply unable to wrap his head around the fact that Jack didn't even know who his love really was.

"There's no time to waste on chit-chat; we have to get going now!" Loki snapped at the men, he was gripped by the almost uncontrollable urge to rip apart the bastards who hurt Ianto.

Jack tightened his grip on Ianto and the little boy sank deeper into his hold, the immortal could hardly wrap his mind around the ground-breaking news John had just dropped on him. "Right, let's get Ianto out of here."

******

Not one single A.I.M. soldier who’d been tasked with keeping the Avengers out stood a chance against the righteous outrage of the team, and more importantly no one had a prayer in hell against a very angry Hulk. The one-sided battle didn’t last very long at all, and in less than fifteen minutes the Avengers were in the building and there wasn’t an enemy combatant left standing; the vast majority were permanently out of commission. Satisfied with a job well done, the team gathered themselves and prepared to leave, although no one put their weapons away just in case – you could never be too careful.

“Am I too late?”

As one the Avengers all froze and slowly turned at the sound of a new voice and then they gaped in astonishment. They had to be part of a mass hallucination; there was simply no way they were seeing the figure they thought they were seeing heading straight towards them.

"Brother?" Thor asked his tone one of in pure disbelief.

A deep scowl his marred his face as Loki led his little group to join the Avengers. "Not now, brother," he responded.

"But how…” The God of Thunder was unsure whether or not he should be happy to see his troublesome sibling. “How are you here? How did you escape your prison cell?" Thor couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the last time he’d seen his brother he was being locked up in a very secure cell.

Loki stopped and huffed out a deep breath of exasperation as he stared at his brother like he had just said the stupidest thing ever. "Did you _really_ think an Asgard prison could hold me? Oh, I _am_ disappointed in you, brother. I thought you knew me better than that!"

Ianto's blue-grey eyes filled with tears and his lower lip trembled as his eyes searched for and finally landed on the familiar forms of his fathers. With a loud cry of, "Da!" he held out his arms desperately wanting to be in the familiar embrace of his parents.

Pushing everyone out of his way, including the bulk of Bruce’s Hulk, Steve wasted no time in swooping in and snatching his son away from the man who held him so tenderly. _‘My son!’_ While one part of his mind registered the slight hesitation with which the man released Ianto at that point it didn't matter to Steve. Nothing mattered at that moment in time except having his beloved son back in his arms. “Oh Ianto,” Steve paid no attention to the fact that there were tears spilling down his cheeks as he pressed his little boy to his chest. “My sweet baby,” and the pure gratitude in his voice was unmistakable.

Within a matter of seconds Tony's metal-covered arms were gently wrapped around the two most important men in his life, joining the family in a close hug. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life as the man he loved held their son in his arms.

As overjoyed as he was to see his fathers again, Ianto needed to show them how the bad men had hurt him, and he held up his bruised arms to his dads. With his lower lip trembling and a cracked whimper in his voice, he said, "Ouchies, da, dada." It was a scene that broke everyone's hearts.

The sight of the injuries covering Ianto's tiny body had the Avengers seeing red all over again and had any of the A.I.M. soldier still been capable of defending themselves, they would certainly have met their deaths. Even though the metal encasing his lover, Steve could feel Tony trembling against him and with one look at his partner’s face he saw the pure fury in Tony's eyes, something Steve was sure was reflected his own.

_‘_ _They have tortured_ my _son! They_ will _pay, oh how_ _they will pay! ’_

"Hulk, smash," Tony ordered, his voice as hard as the green guy’s fists.

The Hulk’s grin was not a nice one; he was so going to enjoy hurting those who’d hurt Hulk's tiny friend.

Everyone knew they would always remember the day Ianto and the Hulk met; it had been after a tough mission and Bruce had yet to calm down and return to his mild-mannered self. He’d met the small child when he’d stomped into the living room, didn’t see him on the floor and nearly tripped over him. Ianto had taken one look at the giant green guy and put down the plushies he was playing with. Standing up on wobbly legs he had lifted up his arms and in a commanding tone that he clearly got from Tony and which brooked no argument, he’d demanded, “Up!”

Everyone had tensed as one of the Hulk’s huge green hands had gently wrapped itself around Ianto and lifted the small human up to eye level, where they’d studied one another for several seconds. Then, a big toothy grin had appeared on Ianto’s face as he snuggled in close against the Hulk hand; no one dared to breathe or move as Ianto curled up and decided to take his afternoon nap in the Hulk's arms. After that incredibly touching introduction, it had become a common sight to find Ianto dozing in the Hulk's arms.

******

"Well, that was certainly fast" the man who’d been watching everything from his hidden office declared with a maniacal grin on his face. "Oh well, I got what I needed." He wrapped his hands around the vial of Ianto's blood and the data chip containing the scans he’d run of Ianto. It was clear that for now the Rift was dormant within Ianto, but as he got older he would gain control of the power that lay within him. "We will meet again, Ianto, and no one, certainly not your freak, will be able to keep you safe from me."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

It was with deep and obvious reluctance that Steve and Tony handed Ianto back to the newcomer who they now knew to be Jack Harkness, and it was clear that they were missing something important given the way Jack was cradling Ianto like he was the most precious gift in the Universe.

The Hulk had easily taken care of the few remaining A.I.M. soldiers who had been stupid enough to try and face him down, while the other Avengers collected the ones who managed to slip past him. Once the building had been cleared of all enemy soldiers, it was searched a second time, but it quickly became clear that whoever had been running the show was long gone.

Tension started running high between everyone as it became clear that Ianto didn't want to leave Jack's arms, not even to join his fathers, something that didn't sit well with Steve, Tony or any of the others. There was a unanimous feeling of ‘just who does this guy think he is?’ evident on everyone’s face.

Tony's eyes narrowed with unbridled jealousy as he watched the way Jack Harkness tenderly held his son, Ianto, while the toddler cooed happily as he wrapped his tiny fingers in the blue fabric and rested his head on Jack's chest. Tony looked over at Steve, who was standing next to him, and he could clearly see that his partner didn’t like situation at all. “I’ll take my son back _now_ , thank you very much.” Tony’s voice was polite but sharp.

Jack tightened his grip on Ianto; both he and his heart were simply not ready to let go of the child-version of the love of his life and although he was too young to understand why, Ianto in turn instinctively clung firmly to Jack not ready to let go of him just yet.

Sensing a potential problem, the Doctor nonchalantly intervened. "Phil, is that you?" the Time Lord asked.

Phil Coulson smiled a warm welcome at the Time Lord. "It is good to see you again, Doctor."

Clint glanced suspiciously between his lover and the newcomer and he moved much closer to his partner, determined to make his claim to Phil quite obvious. "You two know each other?"

Naturally, being the Doctor and always oblivious to the emotional interaction between humans was completely unaware of the tension and jealousy burning within Clint and the Doctor just grinned brightly at him. "Oh yes, Phil and I go way back, don’t we, old friend? He helped me out a few times back when I was travelling with Rose; oh, the stories I could tell you! You know, Phil, that offer to travel with me is still open."

Next to him Coulson felt Clint stiffen completely and he knew his lover was waiting to find out if he was about to lose his partner to the wonders of the Universe. As far as Phil was concerned, there was only one answer he could possibly and he did so as graciously as he could. "Thank you for the offer but I'm very happy here, plus someone needs to keep an eye on this group,” and he gave a wave that encompassed the small crowd around them. “But if you don't mind me asking, would you tell us just what you’re doing here?"

The Doctor cast a quick glance at Jack who was smiling down at the boy in his arms, listening intently to every word Ianto was saying. Ianto was busy talking away at a mile a minute to him, telling him all about his new life with the Avengers and with his new fathers. His story was clearly very exciting because it involved a lot of arm waving and loud giggles.

The scene warmed the old Time Lord’s heart and reminded him of his own family life so many centuries ago. "It's a long story full of love and joy as well as pain and heartbreak. I take it you've heard of the 456?" He knew they had, the aliens had had a worldwide effect during their short time on Earth.

When the others nodded the Doctor began telling the story of everything that had happened from the moment Jack and Ianto confronted the 456 to their fatal confrontation with them in Thames House to Ianto's miraculous rebirth as a child. _'Thank you, Sexy, what you’ve done is truly wonderful and I’m very grateful, but we are going to have a long talk about keeping things like this from me_ in the future, _'_ the Doctor firmly informed his ship as she showed him everything that had happened from start to finish.

"So _our_ Ianto is _his_ Ianto." It was rather heartbreaking to hear how tragically the love story between Jack and Ianto had ended. Not caring who saw them, Steve had a tight grip on Tony’s hand as he watched Jack’s obvious affection for and connection with their son. There was absolutely no mistaking the pure love glowing in the man’s eyes as he stroked the side of Ianto’s face.

"Yes, he is," Loki murmured under his breath as he watched the two of them together. He was well acquainted with Jack’s reputation as an intergalactic playboy, but he knew that where Ianto was concerned Jack’s philandering days were over.

Despite how touching the reunion between Jack and Ianto was, the God of Thunder had a reunion of his own to worry about. "What I do not understand is how you came to be here, brother?" Thor had never seen such softness in his brother's eyes as he witnessed while Loki watched Jack and Ianto together and a huge part of him yearned desperately for Loki to look at him like that.

Reluctant to take his eyes from Ianto, Loki turned to face his brother. "When I fell from the Rainbow Bridge I fell through all of time and space as well and it was there that I met Idris, the human form of the TARDIS. To my surprise, in her I found someone who actually listened to my troubles and who truly cared for my wounded soul; it was a wonderful experience. Even after you captured me the TARDIS was still there as my friend whenever I need her most. Along the way I was fortunate enough to get to know those she cared about but none of them struck a chord with me as Ianto did.”

Loki smiled softly. There is something about him that resonates in my soul, so when the Rift was absorbed into Ianto Idris and I came up with the plan to give Ianto a new life, with a better childhood and a true chance at pure love."

Thor firmly refused to believe that it was jealousy he was feeling at the way Loki talked about Idris and Ianto.

Paying no attention to the discussion between Thor and Loki, Phil was focused on Jack and Ianto. "He's far too young even for you, Harkness, and if you try anything it doesn't matter how long it takes I will find a way to make your next death stick," Coulson warned Jack in an almost friendly tone but the look in his eyes made it clear that he wasn’t making a simple, idle threat; it was a promise that he would fulfil even if it took him the rest of his life. Phil Coulson took his role as uncle very seriously.

Jack was happy relieved to see that Ianto had such a loving and loyal family to keep him safe. With deep regret in both his eyes and his voice, the immortal announced, "I can't stay around, not when Ianto is so close yet so very far, it wouldn't be fair to me or to him."

Tony didn’t like Jack, father or not, he personally thought Jack should have treated Ianto much better when they were together, but it was clear that the pain of Ianto's death still haunted him. Tony had to admit that he couldn't imagine having to watch Steve die in his arms, only to get him back a second time but as a child. He didn’t think there was any power in the Universe that could force him to be a part of his life, to watch Steve grow up and yet be unable to be with him.

"You don't have to leave right away, Jack, you can stay for a little longer." Tony couldn't believe he was saying this. “Spend some more time with Ianto?” He knew Steve was amazed and confused, but he refused to look at him.

Jack knew that somehow, fate had given him a second chance with Ianto and this time he was determined that he would do things right. When Ianto was old enough Jack return and he would treat him the young man the way he should have the first time around. He would make sure knew that always knew just how special he was to him and how deeply and purely he was loved. As much as it broke his heart, Jack knew he couldn’t be a part of his life before then because it would be too hard and Jack knew he wasn’t that strong.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think it would be better for me to take my leave before I get too attached to Ianto."

"'ack no go," Ianto pleaded softly and it tore at Jack's heart to see tears well up in Ianto's eyes and spill down his cheeks. “’ack?” He reached up and patted Jack’s face.

One look into those beautiful blue eyes and Jack was lost. "I guess I can stay for a little while." He was well aware that he was going to have to deal with the pain his decision would surely bring, but he couldn't deny Ianto anything and as much as it was going to hurt he was eternally grateful that he was being given another chance with Ianto.

******

It was the longest week of life as he stayed in the Tower and watched Ianto with his new family. He was so pleased to see that Ianto had a chance to have a normal and happy life surrounded by people who loved him and were eager to guide him through life. But the entire time was tainted by the knowledge and pain that he couldn't stay any longer. Unable to be with Ianto was ripping at his soul.

It would be heart-wrenchingly impossible to stay there and watch Ianto grow up knowing he couldn’t flirt with him, couldn’t woo him, and above all, couldn’t touch him until he was old enough. While Jack knew he was physically strong enough to obey the rules, emotionally… well, that was a different story. How would he handle seeing the man he loved enduring his first teen-age crush, going out on his first date, sharing his first kiss? He couldn’t deny Ianto any of the milestones involved in growing up but that didn’t mean he could stand by and watch them go by.

The most important thing in the Universe was that Ianto was happy and that was all that mattered to Jack. When his self-imposed deadline of seven days came to its end, he knew it was time to go; no matter how desperately he wanted to stay, he knew he couldn’t. Ianto deserved a normal life and he wouldn’t have that with Jack always lurking in the background. Jack was determined to remain hidden from Ianto until the day his beloved Welshman was old enough to touch and on that day, he would return and give Ianto what was his and his alone – Jack’s heart.

He waited until Ianto was asleep and the Avengers were all downstairs enjoying their evening before slipping into his room. "It always seems like I'm leaving you, but I promise you, Ianto, that this is the very last time. The next time you see me I'll be here to stay. Just please…” Jack’s voice cracked with pain and emotion. “Please wait for me," he pleaded fervently as he kissed Ianto on the forehead. _‘Remember that I love you, Cariad; please don’t let someone else steal your heart away.’_ One large tear dropped onto Ianto’s pillow and Jack knew that if he didn’t leave immediately, he never would. Taking one last lingering look at Ianto, committing every minute detail to memory, knowing that it would have to do him until Ianto was old enough for him to return, Jack straightened up and stepped away from Ianto’s crib. “Please remember me,” he begged one last time. ‘ _I will be back, I promise, and I will_ _make_ _you mine,_ _again.’_

"I'll see you soon, Ianto Jones." Jack promised as he pressed the buttons on his newly repaired and fully working vortex manipulator and with his eyes locked on Ianto he whispered, “I love you,” and then disappeared from sight.

In his sleep Ianto shifted a faint smile on his face as his forehead still tingled from Jack's kiss. In his dreams, he danced with a man in a big blue coat.

Unbeknownst to either of them, two sets of parental eyes were watching them, filled with tears, both understanding the sacrifice Jack was making to ensure their son could enjoy a normal life and grow up happy and well-adjusted.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_Twenty years later_

It had been two very long, very lonely decades since Jack had last stepped foot on Earth. He’d spent the majority of the time travelling with the Doctor – which _still_ involved a lot of running even with the new regeneration – although there was a two-year period when he settled down to teach Ancient Sol 3 History at the University of Mars. Otherwise, he stayed as far from planet Earth as possible; he couldn't chance the young man growing up to see him as nothing more than another uncle.

No matter where he was though, he still had made sure to keep in contact with John Hart who had remained on Earth and eventually married Jane Foster, a fact which had shocked Jack to the core. He’d never once thought that his ex-partner would settle down, and especially not with a human – John had always preferred the more exotic life forms, especially those with tentacles. But through periodic holographic chats over their vortex manipulators, he’d learned all about Ianto.

He heard about Ianto’s school years, about him leading the youth rugby team to its first championship in years, and how he earned his University degree in only three years. He laughed at the pictures of Ianto in his various Halloween costumes and cried with him when his heart was broken for the first time. He relished every second of video and every scrap of information he got about his Ianto.

Finally, after much soul-searching, Jack decided that it was time to return to Earth and find out if Ianto still wanted him, if he still loved him. After sending word to John of his arrival, Jack stood anxiously on the roof of the Avenger Tower, his heart in his hands. He could only hope that Ianto still wanted to be with him.

"It's about time you returned, Sir," a quiet voice commented with a slightly reproachful tone.

Whirling around in surprise, Jack forgot how to breathe as he stared into the beautiful blue eyes of the man he loved so very, very much. “Ianto?” he whispered. He cleared his throat and tried again, “You’ve grown up.” Mentally, Jack groaned; ‘ _What a stupid first thing to say!’_

As Ianto raised his eyebrow and gave his former lover that oh-so-familiar look of fondly amused exasperation, Jack was sent hurtling back through the years to another lifetime.

"That's what happens when you leave for twenty years, Sir," Ianto pointed out casually, although his tone suggested he was not at all happy with that decision.

"Your fathers would have ended up killing me so many times if I’d stayed, not to mention what the rest of your family would do to my anatomy!" Jack's token of protest and weak attempt at humour fell flat and were promptly forgotten as Ianto closed the short distance between them and pressed his body against Jack's.

"So then you would have been happy if I’d moved on? Allowed another to touch and take what is yours and yours alone?" Ianto purred seductively in Jack's ear.

A low growl escaped Jack as he bristled at the idea of _anyone_ else being with his Ianto. "Nobody had better to have touched you!" Jack wrapped his arms tightly around Ianto's waist and tugged him firmly against his body and with a deeply satisfied sigh, Ianto went willingly.

After standing and simply holding one another for several minutes, Ianto pulled away just enough to look up at Jack with a distinct challenge in his eyes. "And what if they had? You left and it was clear that you had no plans on coming back."

"I was too coming back!” Jack was horrified by Ianto’s words. “I told you that the night I left, I promised you I would return!” He tightened his grip on Ianto’s arms and stared deeply into his eyes. “You've been mine from the moment we met in the park and I'll rip apart anyone who so much as looks at you," Jack stated fiercely, his blue eyes flashing with the raging green fire of jealousy. He fought the urge to demand the names of anyone who might have touched and taken what had always belonged to him so that he could hunt them down and destroy them.

The happy smirk that graced Ianto's beautiful face let Jack know played right into his hands. "No need for anything so dramatic.”

“Really? Are you sure or are you just trying to make me feel better?” Jack smiled, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Ianto reached up and stroked Jack’s face tenderly. “I’m sure; there's been no one else, Cariad, you're the only one I have ever wanted," Ianto admitted.

 “Surely you've had boyfriends or girlfriends i while you were growing up?" Jack didn't dare hope that Ianto was still pure and untouched, that he would be the one and only person to lay claim to his innocence.

Ianto put him in his place with one flat look. "Did you forget who my family is? Even if I _was_ interested in someone there was simply no way anyone could get past them and actually gain their approval. Trust me even for casual _friends,_ shall we say, that was no easy feat." At Jack's dangerous growl Ianto smiled sweetly, "I admit I may have had one or two rather ardent admirers that didn't understand the word ‘no’ until they met Aunt Natasha and my fathers and heard them say it."

"But your family hates me! Why would they accept us?" Jack pointed out, fighting against the feeling of hopelessness that was stealing over him.

"They don't hate _you_ , Jack, they just hate the fact that we let pride and insecurity ruin our relationship in my last life, and they fear that we may go down that path again. Besides, it's my decision who I want to be with and I chose you a long, long time ago. They'll just have to learn to live with it." Ianto snuggled closer to Jack again and whispered, "I love you, Jack Harkness, in my last life and more importantly, in this one and _nothing_ is going to change that, I swear."

Jack gave a soft sob with relief as he buried his face in Ianto’s neck; he’d been so afraid that Ianto had come up to the rooftop to say good-bye. He could feel his heart singing with joy, the man he loved was still his. "I love you too, Ianto Stark-Rogers, just as I loved Ianto Jones. You are my moon and stars and without you in my life I would be lost forever. I’ve already been forced to live without you and I know that I can't do that a second time,” Jack paused, stepped away from Ianto just a bit and took hold of his hands. “So I want to know if you'd be willing to spend the rest of your life with this old fool, together forever?"

Ianto stared at Jack in pure disbelief; never did he think he would hear those words from the immortal. "Are you… asking me to ma… marry you?" Ianto stammered out his words; he had to be sure that he wasn't imagining things.

Jack smiled that oh-so rare small but true smile that Ianto had only seen a few times but which had always been reserved for him alone. "I am, but if you want, I’ll get down on one knee and ask you again,” he joked.

“Oh don’t be silly, Jack!” Ianto laughed but there was something in his eyes that told Jack that was exactly what Ianto Stark-Rogers wanted, so he did.

Dropping to one knee, Jack reached out, took Ianto’s hand in his and solemnly said, “So what do you say Ianto Stark-Rogers, will you marry me?" Jack barely made it to his feet before he found himself stumbling back a few feet as Ianto flung himself on him and hugged his fiercely. When he could catch his breath again, Jack grinned, "I should take that as a yes?"

“Yes! Oh yes!” Ianto pulled back from Jack a wide smile on his face as his eyes shone with happiness. "Yes, Jack, I will marry you!"

A loud and wild whoop of pure joy escaped the older immortal's lips as he exuberantly twirled his fiancé around and around in circles before claiming his lips in a deep kiss that let Ianto feel all the love he had for him.

It was a kiss that Ianto happily returned with all his love.

******  
 _Four Months Later_

"I still say he's too young for a lifelong commitment and given how long their lives are going to be they could have waited until I was dead," Tony grumbled irritably under his breath as he watched the newlyweds sharing their first dance.

Steve smiled fondly at his husband. "If they had waited then you won't have gotten to give Ianto away," he pointed out reasonably. "Besides,” Steve wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulled him closer, “I know you don't hate Jack as much as you claim to, not when you know now just how deeply he loves Ianto."

A childish pout graced Tony's face as he snuggled into his husband’s embrace and crossed his arms over his chest. "I still think they should have waited a little longer."

Steve raised an eyebrow as he wrapped his arms around Tony. "You mean like we did?" He loved reminding his husband of their first wedding when they’d eloped in the middle of the night to a Las Vegas wedding chapel just a month into their relationship. Neither man had the patience to wait long enough to plan an actual wedding ceremony although that that of course naturally changed the moment they’d gotten home.

Pepper had given them one look, they’d wisely shut their mouths and handed over their checkbook and six months later they enjoyed – or endured, depending on who you were talking to and when – one of the biggest weddings anyone had ever seen before.

"You just have to keep reminding me, don't you," Tony continued to grumble under his breath although now it was with a smile as he sank into Steve's hold.

Steve pressed a kiss onto the top of Tony's head. "I know you don't like Jack that much, but he makes our son happy and in the end isn't that all that truly matters?"

Shifting so he could look his husband in the eyes Tony's pout turned into a begrudging smile, although there was still a hint of it in his eyes. "You're right, but I still reserve the right to decapitate, disembowel and dismember Jack if he ever hurts our son."

"Oh that's a given and you know Natasha has been keeping her knives extremely sharp just waiting for the chance to sink them into Jack," Steve reminded Tony and he was rewarded with a bright smile.

A thoughtful look appeared in Tony's eyes at his teammate’s name. "You know when she and Pepper got married I had hoped that Pep would rub off on Natasha but instead I think it's Pepper who's gotten even more scary."

"I heard that, Tony," Pepper lightly but pointedly slapped him across the back of the head as she and Natasha joined him and Steve.

Bruce was right behind helping a heavily pregnant Darcy waddle over to the nearest chair, followed by Clint and Phil who were carrying their two adopted little boys. Moments later the table was nearly filled when Loki, Thor and Jane took seats, with Jane saving one for her husband. Everyone had been surprised that Loki and Jane had managed to form a friendship, although it still suffered from growing pains once in a while. With John’s help, Jane had gotten over her broken heart and had come to accept the truth that Thor and Loki belonged to one another, even though the pain had lingered for a long time after their break up.

Clint shot a warning glare at Jane. "Please tell me that your husband isn't off causing trouble somewhere."

Jane rolled her eyes; no one had been more shocked than her when she managed to tame and even domesticate the renegade John Hart. "He's over at the open bar, he knows how important this day is and he's not about to ruin it."

Darcy grinned proudly as she leaned into Bruce's side, heaving a deep sigh of pleasure as he wrapped his arm around her and gently scratched her swollen belly. "Yep, Jane made sure that John knew that if he misbehaved today the couch was going to be his friend for quite a while."

Jane blushed but a smile tugged at her lips. "You just have to know how to control him, which is why Ianto is not going to have any problems with Jack; he's got that man wrapped around his little finger."

And as much as Steve and Tony didn't want to agree with Jane they both knew she was right.

*******

"I think your family is plotting my death." Jack used the pretext of dancing close to his new husband to whisper in his ear. He was leading during this dance so that he could keep an eye on the head table and when he saw the entire group assemble and look at him, he knew he was in trouble.

_‘Oh, Jack! Don’t be so paranoid!’_ Ianto rolled his eyes at his husband's worry. "No, they're not, they know how important you are to me and they wouldn't dare make me sad."

Jack had to admit his husband had a point. "Have I told you how much I love you, Ianto Harkness, lately?" And hadn't that been a surprise to everyone, including Jack, when Ianto had declared he was taking Jack's last name, much to the irritation of his parents.

Ianto's blue eyes sparkled with joy. "Not lately, no."

Jack grinned at the obvious challenge in his husband’s voice. "Well then let me change that, I love you, Ianto, now and forever."

Leaning forward Ianto brushed a kiss against Jack's lips. "I love you too, Jack Harkness, and I will until the last star burns out and even beyond," Ianto promised and he sank into Jack's arms as they danced across the floor. _'I wonder when I should tell Jack the news the TARDIS shared with me this morning? That we’re having a baby.'_

Idris had popped in to wish Ianto the best of a blessed day, while the Doctor had gone to check in with Jack. The two men had spent the previous night in separate rooms, on separate floors of the Tower, and wouldn’t see each other until they met at the altar. Jack had put on his best pout, but Ianto had been adamant about preserving some mystery, “since I obviously can’t wear white!” he’d laughed heartily. The Time Lord and his TARDIS couldn’t stay for the ceremony and reception – there was a diplomatic tantrum brewing on TuTuNuNu that he was to mediate – but neither was willing to let such a remarkable and long-awaited day go by without stopping for just a moment.

Ianto cast a glance at his family who were trying and failing to hide their glares at Jack and he sighed, deciding, _'Maybe on our honeymoon, when we’re far, far away from all of them.'_

Ianto knew that his family would come to accept Jack and their child but he didn't want his fathers to fall into an overprotective rage and ruin his wedding by getting into a fist fight with his new husband right on the dance floor. _'No, I'll tell Jack when we’re alone and then we’ll tell everyone else when we get back.'_

This was a new beginning with the man he loved and they were starting a family and Ianto Harkness couldn't be happier. He knew that despite the personality clashes that were sure to continue, the child growing in him was going to be loved by his or her big extended family.

******  
 _Somewhere in time and space_

“So the freak is going to be a father, oh happy day.” The voice was pure sarcasm. “The first child of the vortex holders is on its way, which means we are going to meet very soon, Mr Ianto Harkness.” The voice changed to one of pure evil. “This time, nothing and no one is going to stand in my way from claiming what is rightfully mine."

The End, for now

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Butterfly Kisses (art)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/949267) by [darthneko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthneko/pseuds/darthneko)




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